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How  I  Made  $10,000 

in  One  Tear  WitK 
4200  Hens 


BY 

JOSEPH  H.  TUMBACH 


Y! 


Copyright,  1919 

By  JOSEPH  H.  TUMBACH 

All  rights  reserved 


o  r 


INTRODUCTION 


This  work  is  written  for  and  is  offered  especially  to 
those  who  are  interested  in  or  who  contemplate  engaging 
in  commercial  egg-farming  for  the  profit  to  be  derived 
from  the  operation.  The  writer  frankly  proclaims  that 
he  knows  nothing  whatever  about  the  science  or  art  of 
poultry  breeding,  and  excepting  for  appreciating  a  beau- 
tiful bird  he  would  not  know  a  standard  bred  bird  from  an 
ordinary  one.  His  right  to  offer  this  work  is  based  solely 
on  the  fact  that  he  has  "made  good''  in  the  work  from  a 
financial  standpoint.  His  "biddies"  have  to  their  credit 
at  this  time  a  profit  above  their  cost  of  keep  in  excess  of 
forty  thousand  dollars.  The  profit  in  1918  was  out  of 
proportion  to  previous  years.  This  was  due  in  a  large 
measure  to  the  fact  that  when  the  "poultry  panic"  set 
in  in  1917  and  many  operators  quit,  discouraged  at  the 
outlook,  the  writer  practically  doubled  his  flock;  and  the 
greatest  increase  was  made  in  young  pullets. 

This  is  not  a  theoretical  exposition.  The  writer  has 
been  in  the  work  more  than  eight  years  and  he  is  now 
engaged  in  it.  He  has  raised  and  is  raising  not  a  few, 
but  thousands  of  chicks  each  year;  he  has  kept  and  is 
keeping  thousands  of  hens.  Fully  90  per  cent  of  his  work- 
ing hours  for  more  than  eight  years  have  been  spent  work- 
ing among  and  with  the  birds.  He  has  been  through 
every  stage  of  the  work,  from  cleaning  a  hen  house  to 
building  several  that  measure  16x150  feet;  from  selling 
a  dozen  eggs  at  retail  to  contracting  a  year's  output  of 
more  than  a  million  and  a  quarter.  He  has  candled 
and  put  eggs  into  storage;  he  has  hatched  chicks  by 


f  3 


the  hen  method  and  in  incubators ;  brooded  them  in  fire- 
less  hovers  in  lots  of  50  and  by  the  stove  method  with 
more  than  two  thousand  in  one  lot  and  house.  He  has 
fought  mites,  lice  and  ticks;  he  has  been  through  sieges 
of  colds,  swell-head,  chicken-pox  and  canker — not  with 
a  mere  handful  of  birds  but  with  thousands  of  them,  and 
there  is  a  vast  difference  in  the  operation. 

The  advice  and  recommendations  he  makes  herein  are 
based  on  that  experience,  and  the  methods  herein  out- 
lined are  the  methods  he  follows.  Let  it  be  understood 
that  these  plans  and  methods  are  by  no  means  given  out 
as  the  ONLY  way  to  success.  They  are  given  simply 
as  the  plan  and  method  by  which  he  netted  $10,000  in 
1918  from  an  average  of  4200  hens,  and  by  which  he  has 
persistently,  year  after  year  for  more  than  six  years, 
made  a  very  handsome  profit  from  the  keeping  of  hens 
for  commercial  egg  production.  With  other  methods  and 
systems  he  is  not  herein  concerned  and  he  who  seeks 
argument  on  comparison  of  plans  and  methods  must  look 
elsewhere. 

To  the  writer  it  seems  that  the  great  error  in  most 
books  on  poultry  work  lies  in  their  failure  to  point  out 
some  definite,  concrete  plan  on  which  to  proceed.  To  a 
man  totally  ignorant  of  the  practical  side  of  the  thing  it 
is  simply  confusing  to  outline  many  plans  of  procedure,  of 
which  he  may  take  his  choice.  It  seems  more  reasonable 
to  outline  the  definite  plan  and  method  by  which  a  suc- 
cess has  been  achieved  and  let  him  follow  that  if  he  will, 
until,  from  his  own  experience,  he  is  qualified  to  make  the 
deviations  and  improvements  which  will  lend  themselves 
more  readily  to  his  particular  case. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  fearful  of  their  lack 


of  experience  with  poultry  or  with  any  form  of  farm  life 
it  may  be  noted  that  the  writer  was  city  born  and  bred, 
an  accountant  by  profession,  and  that  when  he  started 
he  hardly  knew  a  hen  from  a  duck. 

Should  the  reader  by  chance  be  a  poultryman  of  experi- 
ence his  indulgence  is  craved  for  much  to  be  found 
herein  that  will  to  him  seem  simple,  even  laughable.  He 
is  asked  to  remember  that  such  things  are  addressed  pri- 
marily to  him  or  to  her  who  knows  as  little  about  the 
birds  and  the  work  as  the  writer  did  when  he  started. 
A  special  effort  is  made  to  save  the  inexperienced,  as  far 
as  may  be  possible,  the  anxieties  and  extreme  discom- 
forts suffered  by  the  writer  during  his  first  few  years  in 
the  work,  and  to  make  plain  and  comparatively  easy  the 
many  little  points,  simple  in  themselves,  which  to  the 
beginner  seem  veritable  mountains  of  trouble. 

But  the  writer  makes  bold  to  suggest  also  that  even  the 
experienced  may  find  matters  herein  well  worthy  of 
thought  and  consideration.  The  problems  concerning 
the  industry  are  in  many  respects  far  from  being  solved, 
and  unless  those  who  operate  on  comparatively  a  large 
scale  adopt  a  more  liberal — it  might  even  be  said  a  franker 
attitude  than  is  now  commonly  encountered — such  prob- 
lems may  never  find  a  solution.  This  is  to  be  regretted, 
especially  so  since  it  involves  a  financial  loss  not  only  to 
the  individual  operator  but  to  the  industry  as  a  whole. 

Many  points  covered  herein  have  their  promptings  from 
calls  we  have  had  for  advice  and  counsel  either  from  be- 
ginners or  from  others  in  the  work  who  encounter  some 
especial  difficulty.  These  calls  become  more  numerous 
every  day  and  this  work,  unselfish  in  its  prompting,  may 
lighten  the  burden  by  affording  an  easy  means  of  answer- 
ing such  calls  for  help. 


In  conclusion  the  writer  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that 
anyone  who  is  willing  to  work,  who  is  willing  to  stay  at 
home  36$  days  in  the  year,  from  early  morning-  until  late 
at  night,  for  the  first  few  years  at  least,  who  loves  birds 
or  animals — any  one  who  has  these  qualifications — can, 
if  he  will,  do  as  well  or  better  than  he  has  done. 

JOSEPH  H.  TUMBACH. 
Pasadena,  Calif. 


PART  ONE 

A  discussion  from  the  standpoint  of  one  who  wishes  to 
enter  the  work  of  egg-farming,  who  is  not  yet  located 
and  has  not  bought  property,  but  who  wishes  to  buy 
land  at  the  start. 


Location 

The  important  consideration  in  locating  an  egg  farm  is 
the  matter  of  market.  If  you  follow  in  the  writer's  foot- 
steps your  main  objective  in  life  is  the  production  of  eggs 
for  table  use.  Time  is  your  greatest  enemy  because  it 
works  against  your  product  the  moment  the  egg  is  laid. 
Your  problem  then  is  to  put  that  egg  on  the  market  in 
the  shortest  possible  time.  For  this  reason,  if  you  have 
the  choice,  locate  your  egg  farm  as  close  as  you  can  to 
a  good  all-the-year-round  market.  Don't  go  out  on  the 
desert  because  land  is  cheap  there.  And  don't  think  a 
location  is  first  class  because  it  is  close  to  a  summer  or 
winter  resort  where  people  flock  during  a  part  of  the 
year.  You  will  have  eggs  to  sell  12  months  in  the  year 
and  you  want  a  12-month  market. 

Your  plant  should  be  within  reasonable  trucking  or 
shipping  distance  of  some  large  marketing  center  where 
eggs  are  handled  in  large  quantities.  If  poultry  plants 
are  being  conducted  in  the  section  where  you  think  of 
locating  or  starting,  ask  the  people  running  such  plants 
about  the  market  iacilities.  If  you  intend  starting  in  a 
new  section,  confer  its  location  with  reference  to  the 
primary  marketing  point — in  California,  for  instance,  San 
Francisco  and  Los  Angeles  are  the  two  primary  market- 
ing points.  If  no  poultry  people  are  available  for  the 


10  HOW  I  MADE  $10000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

information  go  into  these  cities,  find  the  produce  mar- 
keting centers,  consult  with  egg  dealers,  (you  can  find 
them  in  the  city  directories  if  in  no  other  way),  and  learn 
from  them  how  they  would  treat  you  in  the  matter  of 
buying  your  product.  If  you  find  a  better  market  than 
they  offer  you  well  and  good;  but  make  certain  before 
you  start  that  there  will  be  a  ready  market  for  eggs  pro- 
duced in  the  section  you  have  in  mind. 

Locating  in  a  section  where  there  are  other  egg  and 
poultry  farms  has  many  advantages.  Where  a  consid- 
erable number  of  such  farms  are  operated  there  is 
usually  an  arrangement  by  some  egg  buyer  for  regular 
trips  by  trucks  to  pick  up  the  eggs  and  return  empty 
cases.  This  is  a  big  advantage.  If  you  are  entirely  new 
to  the  work  you  will  feel  much  more  comfortable  at  it  if 
there  is  someone  within  hailing  distance  should  you  get 
into  serious  doubt  or  trouble  over  any  phase  of  the  work. 

Be  sure  you  are  not  following  some  real  estate  boom, 
though.  The  country  is  full  of  poultry-wrecks,  the  result 
of  some  real  estate  boomer  advertising  a  tract  of  land 
as  a  poultry  colony  regardless  of  its  fitness  for  such  work. 
If  your  choice  is  some  place  where  you  can  find  a  plant 
that  has  been  in  operation  for  years  and  that  is  not  all 
run  down  at  the  heels  and  ready  for  the  junk  man,  all  the 
better.  This  would  indicate  that  somebody  made  a  go 
of  chickens  in  that  locality  and  if  he  did  it  you  can. 

Your  nearness  to  market  means  also  that  you  will  be 
close  to  feed  and  supplies — and  the  closer  you  are  to  a 
district  where  grain  and  feed  is  grown,  the  cheaper  will 
be  your  feed  bills. 

Avoid,  if  you  can,  locating  your  plant  very  close  to  a 


WITH  4200  HENS  11 

railroad.  You  will  be  raising  baby  chicks  and  carrying 
young  pullets  and  laying  hens.  The  sudden  shrieking  of 
locomotive  whistles,  clanging  of  bells  and  grinding  of 
wheels  will  be  a  most  harmful  influence  at  all  stages. 

Before  locating  your  plant  within  the  limits  of  a  city 
or  town,  make  sure  there  are  no  restrictions  against 
chickens  in  large  flocks,  or  that  the  chickens  must  not 
be  kept  a  certain  distance  from  an  adjoining  residence. 
Secure  information  on  these  points  from  the  city  or  town 
officials — don't  go  on  the  opinion  of  the  man  from  whom 
you  would  buy. 

Generally  speaking,  it  is  unwise  to  locate  an  egg  farm 
within  the  limits  of  a  city.  The  neighbors  may  not 
object  to  one  or  two  crowing  roosters  and  cackling 
hens  but  it  may  seem  different  to  them  if  one  hundred 
roosters  and  several  thousand  hens  provide  the  concert. 
Furthermore,  ground  for  complaint  is  easily  found  when 
even  a  single  animal  is  kept  in  a  city,  let  alone  thousands 
of  hens. 

If,  in  seeking  a  location,  you  should  encounter  the 
remains  of  old  poultry  plants,  try  and  learn  the  cause  of 
their  failure.  The  soil  may  be  too  heavy,  making  it  sub- 
ject to  standing  pools  of  water  and  sticky  mud;  there 
may  be  sand  fleas  or  ticks  if  it  is  very  sandy ;  it  may  be 
too  windy  or  stormy  for  hens  to  do  well ;  it  may  be  sub- 
ject to  heavy  fogs  especially  in  the  spring  when  the  young 
stock  is  raised ;  it  may  be  the  land  lies  in  a  draw  or  de- 
pression where  there  is  a  heavy  suction  of  air  at  night; 
there  may  be  a  scant  water  supply.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  none  of  these  disadvantages  are  apparent,  the  people 
who  tried  there  may  have  been  at  fault  themselves ;  if  so, 


12  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

you  might  do  well  to  buy  some  of  the  remains  at  a  bar- 
gain and  save  a  lot  of  money.  More  will  be  said  on  the 
latter  score  under  "Buildings." 

Soil 

The  ideal  chicken  soil  is  a  light,  sandy  loam  with  a 
gentle  slope  to  the  south.  This  means  perfect  drainage 
away  from  your  buildings.  Where  we  are  located  it  is 
unusual  to  find  even  a  small  pool  of  standing  water  30 
minutes  after  the  heaviest  rain  storm.  This  is  almost 
ideal. 

Nor  is  drainage  the  only  consideration.  A  light,  loose 
soil  lends  itself  much  more  readily  to  cultivation,  it  is 
an  easy  matter  to  keep  the  ground  fresh,  and  the  hens 
have  an  incentive  to  keep  busy  scratching.  During  the 
rainy  season,  such  as  we  have  in  Southern  California,  the 
top  soil  is  washed  clean,  the  impurities  sinking  into  lower 
levels.  Such  a  soil  requires  far  more  water  and  fertiliza- 
tion for  the  growing  of  green  stuff,  but  the  advantages 
offset  this  tenfold. 

It  is  not  impossible  to  successfully  operate  an  egg 
farm  on  heavy  soil.  Our  plant  was  located  on  a  stiff 
"dobe"  soil  the  first  five  years,  where  a  crowbar  had  to 
be  used  to  dig  a  post  hole  during  the  summer  months,  and 
where  a  sticky  mud  formed  during  the  rainy  season,  and 
we  laid  the  foundation  for  our  success  on  that  place, 
making  good  money  at  it  after  the  first  two  years.  We 
had  only  one  attack  of  serious  trouble  during  the  five 
years,  and  as  other  people  located  on  lighter  soils  had 
the  same  trouble  at  the  same  time,  it  seems  reasonable 
to  assume  that  the  soil  was  not  the  cause  of  it.  But 
heavy  soil  makes  the  work  far  more  difficult  and  is  much 


WITH  4200  HENS  13 

less  pleasant  for  the  hens ;  so  avoid  the  heavy  soil  if  you 
can. 

Buildings  and  Yards 

There  is  no  ideal  building"  for  housing  either  chicks  or 
hens — one  that  can  be  used  in  every  country  and  every 
climate.  Local  weather  conditions  make  modifications 
necessary  wherever  you  may  go.  The  writer  has  seen 
hens  kept,  on  an  egg-farming  basis,  in  little  houses  with- 
out yards,  the  likes  of  which  if  attempted  in  a  southern 
climate  where  it  really  gets  hot,  would  result  in  cooking 
the  life  out  of  the  birds,  and  the  other  extreme  was  a 
case  where  no  houses  were  used  at  any  season  of  the 
year.  If  this  were  attempted  in  Maine  or  in  Michigan, 
especially  with  Leghorns,  the  birds  might  not  actually 
freeze  to  death  but  they  would  surely  lose  their  combs 
and  wattles  and  they  would  lay  few  if  any  eggs  in  the 
winter. 

Before  deciding  on  the  style  of  housing  you  will  adopt, 
make  inquiries  and  learn  who  is  most  successful  in  the 
district.  There  is  always  someone  who  stands  out  above 
the  rest  in  making  a  success  of  the  work.  Learn  from 
him  or  them  how  your  brooder  houses  and  laying  houses 
had  best  be  faced.  Generally  speaking  a  southern  ex- 
posure is  best,  east  is  second  choice,  west  third,  and  north 
last  or  not  at  all.  The  writer  cannot  recall  seeing  a  suc- 
cessful poultry  plant  with  ho.uses  faced  north.  There  are 
some,  of  course,  but  they  are  rare.  Unless  your  success- 
ful man  is  a  faddist  whose  ideas  are  contrary  to  all  gen- 
erally accepted  rules  for  keeping  hens  you  might  well 
follow  his  lead  both  as  to  exposure  and  as  to  style  or 
type  of  housing. 


14  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

But  if  you  find  a  number  of  successfully  conducted 
plants  in  the  section,  operating-  with  practically  the  same 
style  and  type,  you  are  safer  in  following  that  lead  than 
in  following  the  one.  For  instance,  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia by  far  the  greater  number  of  poultrymen  use  the  long, 
partially  open-front  laying  house.  Were  you  locating  in 
this  section  your  best  plan  would  be  to  adopt  that  style. 
Of  course  you  might  come  here  and  show  us  something 
new,  something  that  would  put  our  efforts  in  the  shade, 
so  to  speak.  But  be  sure  you  have  enough  money  with 
you  to  enable  you  to  tear  down  and  rebuild  should  your 
innovation  prove  a  failure.  An  experienced  poultryman 
could  go  into  almost  any  poultry  section  and  make  im- 
provements on  the  housing  and  methods  commonly  em- 
ployed, but  a  beginner  usually  lays  out  for  himself  a 
hard  row  to  hoe  when  he  attempts  to  learn  the  business 
and  to  start  an  innovation  at  one  and  the  same  time.  The 
writer  knows  this  to  his  cost — that  is  why  his  first  two 
years  resulted  in  failure.  The  hens  were  not  a  failure— 
they  did  remarkably  well  and  showed  a  fine  profit,  but  he 
could  not  get  enough  hens  to  make  the  total  profit  pay 
his  living  expenses,  let  alone  a  surplus  for  rainy  days. 

This  suggests  another  "don't" — don't  be  misled  by  re- 
ports you  see  giving  the  results  of  a  certain  system  or 
method  where  a  few  hens  were  used  to  make  the  test. 
If  you  make  a  success  of  the  work  you  will  want  at  least 
one  thousand  and  if  you  are  ambitious,  even  moderately 
so,  two  thousand  will  be  the  least  number  you  will  carry. 
And  it  is  absolutely  foolhardy  to  base  your  ideas  of  the 
business  and  its  returns  on  multiplying  by  one  or  two 
thousand  the  results  per  hen  you  can  find  in  many  reports 
of  experiments. 


WITH  4200  HENS  15 

Another  point  worth  making:  If  you  are  buying  a 
place  on  which  there  are  some  old  buildings  (chicken 
houses  or  any  other  kind)  and  if  your  capital  is  limited 
or  you  wish  to  determine  whether  or  not  the  work  suits 
you,  you  can  easily  adapt  them  for  use  for  a  year  or  two. 
The  writer  made  a  perfectly  satisfactory  brooder  house 
out  of  two  old  sheds,  7x12  feet,  6  feet  high  in  front  and 
4  feet  in  the  rear,  by  tearing  out  the  fronts  of  both  and 
placing  them  nose  to  nose,  making  one  building  12x14. 
There  were  several  such  sheds  on  the  place.  Two  more 
were  set  twelve  feet  apart,  the  intervening  space  was 
roofed  over,  the  back  was  connected  up,  resulting  in  one 
building  7x36;  a  "porch"  5  feet  wide  was  run  along  the 
front  (which  was  left  wide  open),  sloping  away  from  the 
main  house,  which  kept  out  the  rain  and  wind  and  the 
whole  resulted  in  a  very  comfortable  house  12x36  feet 
in  which  350  hens  were  kept.  A  little  ingenuity,  or  a  day's 
wages  to  some  good  carpenter,  might  easily  save  you  a 
lot  of  money  at  the  start. 

Sand-papered  and  varnish  finish  are  not  a  necessary 
adjunct  to  success.  What  you  need  primarily  is  a  house 
in  which  you  can  absolutely  control  the  inflow  and  outgo 
of  air  and  which  will  keep  out  storms  and  rain.  The  de- 
tailed description  of  our  buildings  may  serve  as  a  useful 
guide  as  to  the  necessary  features  even  though  you  do  not 
adopt  the  plans  as  a  whole.  It  is  for  this  reason  they  are 
given,  not  with  the  idea  that  we  have  the  only  proper 
scheme  of  housing. 

Should  you  use  or  adapt  old  buildings  one  thing  in 
particular  you  must  do — they  must  be  most  thoroughly 
disinfected.  This  is  best  accomplished  by  spraying  with 


16  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

the  mixture  we  use,  described  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
"Cleaning  and  Disinfecting."  Cover  every  inch  of  that 
old  building  with  this  spray,  inside  and  out,  up  and  down 
and  sidewise,  and  when  you  are  through  and  have  done 
a  good  job  of  it,  go  over  it  again.  Five  days  later  repeat 
the  dose,  and  then  you  can  feel  that  you  have  taken  every 
human  precaution  against  falling  heir  to  trouble.  It  mat- 
ters not  whether  there  ever  was  a  chicken  within  10  miles 
of  the  place,  or  if  there  has  been  nothing  in  the  building 
for  as  many  years,  spray  it  as  herein  outlined. 

The  question  of  yards  and  yard  space  is  a  much  mooted 
one.  Some  people  advocate  shutting  the  birds  into  a 
house  or  coop  and  giving  them  no  yard  space  at  all  be- 
cause yards  are  disease  breeders.  This  seems  to  the 
writer  to  follow  literally  the  biblical  injunction  "if  thine 
eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out."  We  use  yards  and  believe 
they  are  conducive  to  the  health,  well-being  and  happi- 
ness 6f  the  birds  and  we  enjoy  their  seeming  enjoyment 
of  that  much  freedom. 

Wallowing  in  loose  moist  earth  seems  to  be  one  of  the 
habits  we  cannot  break  biddie  of,  and  there  is  grave  ques- 
tion if  we  could  afford  to  do  it  were  she  willing.  There 
is  this  to  be  said,  however — she  is  better  off  with  no  yard 
at  all  than  to  be  on  soil  baked  as  hard  as  a  brick  and  dry 
as  a  bone  in  summer  and  a  mess  of  sticky  mud  in  winter. 

Ninety-nine  out  of  100  poultrymen,  including  so  far  as 
we  know,  all  the  experiment  stations,  give  their  hens 
more  or  less  yard  space  and  your  safest  course  is  to  fol- 
low this  lead.  You  should  allow  enough  space  to  each 
house  so  that  you  can  shut  off  a  part  of  the  yard  at  regular 
intervals  and  freshen  the  ground  by  growing  something 
on  it. 


WITH  4200  HENS  17 

As  to  the  size  of  the  yard,  no  set  rule  can  be  given. 
If  you  were  building  a  house  50  feet  long,  in  which  you 
will  keep  500  hens,  your  best  plan  would  be  to  have  one 
yard  in  front  of  the  house  and  one  in  back.  On  this 
plan  if  each  yard  were  30  feet  deep  and  the  length  of  the 
house,  50  feet,  the  hens  would  do  nicely  on  it  if  the  soil 
was  reasonably  loose  and  open.  If  it  suited  the  shape 
of  your  land  better,  you  might  have  a  yard  the  length 
of  the  house  and  say  100  feet  deep,  divided  in  the  center. 
Then  again  you  might  have  the  30x50  yard  in  front  of  the 
house  and  one  of  the  same  size  at  either  end.  You  will 
see  later  how  our  yards  are  arranged. 

Planning  the  Plant 

In  selecting  your  land,  avoid  a  hilly,  steeply  sloping  lo- 
cation if  you  can.  You  can  lay  out  a  plant  on  anything 
short  of  straight  up  and  down  but  it  is  a  much  harder 
problem  and  the  assistance  of  an  expert,  practical  poul- 
tryman  is  almost  necessary  to  do  it  successfully.  A  long, 
narrow  tract  is  harder  to  lay  out  than  one  oblong  or  near- 
ly square.  If  long  enough  and  narrow  enough  you  will 
walk  yourself  to  death  unless  you  install  a  tram  car  or  use 
a  motor  car. 

The  number  of  hens  that  can  be  kept  on  a  given  space 
is  a  question  involving  many  problems  and  one  that  is 
asked  us  almost  as  frequently  as  "what  do  you  feed  your 
hens?"  In  attempting  to  answer  it  jwe  must  first  of  all 
agree  that  we  will  give  the  hens  yards;  the  writer  can- 
not hazard  an  opinion  otherwise  as  he  does  not  favor 
the  no-yard  idea.  On  this  basis  it  is  reasonable  to  count 
on  1000  hens  to  the  acre  with  a  minimum  of  5  acres,  or 


18  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

about  800  to  the  acre  with  a  minimum  of  2l/2  or  3  acres. 
There  are  many  successful  poultry  plants  in  operation 
where  this  limit  is  exceeded,  and  it  can  be  exceeded  where 
the  soil  is  especially  good  or  where  it  is  planned  to  break 
the  operation  every  few  years,  sell  off  all  the  birds  and 
take  a  vacation  for  a  year  while  the  whole  system  of 
yards  is  freshened  by  growing  crops.  This  is  the  best 
answer  that  can  be  given  to  the  question. 

When  you  have  agreed  on  a  deal  for  your  land  your 
first  move  should  be  to  have  it  surveyed  by  a  licensed  sur- 
veyor. This  is  an  ordinary  business  precaution.  You 
ought  to  know  that  the  land  you  are  looking  at  is  the 
land  your  deed  will  convey  to  you.  Then  have  the  sur- 
veyor make  a  plat  of  it  for  you  on  a  fairly  large  scale. 
This  you  can  use  in  making  diagrams  of  the  settings  of 
your  various  buildings  and  yards.  Make  a  drawing  of  the 
buildings  and  yards  in  different  positions.  If  you  do  this 
you  will  be  able  to  lay  out  the  plant  to  much  better  ad- 
vantage than  would  be  the  case  if  you  go  at  it  in  a  ran- 
dom sort  of  fashion,  and  your  place  will  look  all  the  bet- 
ter for  it.  Then  take  a  tape  line  and  a  lot  of  stakes  and 
stake  the  plant  on  the  ground  as  you  have  drawn  it  on 
your  plat.  Walk  around  from  building  to  building,  as  it 
would  be ;  consider  the  idea  of  having  to  go  over  the  place 
in  your  daily  rounds,  the  distance  you  would  have  10 
carry  the  feed  stuffs  and  eggs.  A  proper  arrangement  of 
your  plant  at  the  start  will  save  you  many  steps  and  a 
lot  of  time. 

Consider  the  drainage  problem — you  don't  want  the 
door  of  a  building  right  in  line  with  a  possible  flood  dur- 
ing the  season  of  heavy  rains ;  you  want  a  high  wall  at 


WITH  4200  HENS  19 

that  point.  Mark  it  if  you  see  a  chance  of  this  occurring 
so  that  your  builder  will  give  you  a  high  wall  there. 
Don't  set  your  feed  house  in  a  depression  if  you  can  help 
it;  if  you  can't  avoid  it,  be  sure  you  have  high  concrete 
walls  all  around,  and  have  the  cement  man  plaster  the 
concrete  with  top  dressing  after  it  has  set.  This  will  make 
it  waterproof;  ordinary  concrete  is  not. 

If  your  land  slopes  heavily  you  must  bear  in  mind  that 
your  hens,  and  your  chicks  also,  will  help  it  in  its  sloping 
movement;  most  of  their  lives  when  they  are  outdoors 
will  be  spent  in  helping  your  land  on  its  natural  down- 
hill movement.  The  floor  of  your  house  on  the  down 
hill  side  should  be  level  with  the  ground  if  you  are  on  a 
modest  slope;  on  a  heavy  slope  you  can  better  afford  to 
grade  the  building  site  so  as  to  have  a  level  space  of  5  or 
6  feet  in  front  of  the  building,  even  though  this  means 
a  very  high  wall  in  back  to  turn  the  rain-flow.  The  back 
walls  on  some  of  our  laying  houses  reach  to  within  a  foot 
of  the  dropping-boards.  There  is  no  disadvantage  in  this. 

If  you  can  spare  the  space,  leave  a  passageway  of  say 
10  feet  between  the  outer  lines  of  your  property  and  your 
chicken  yards  and  houses.  This  means  double  fences  but 
it  also  means  that  you  have  a  margin  of  safety  for  birds 
flying  the  fences  of  their  yards  and  a  margin  of  safety 
also  against  prowling  animals — both  four-and-two-legged. 
If  your  neighbor  keeps  hens  there  is  less  danger  of  the 
flocks  becoming  mixed  and  lice  or  sickness  communi- 
cating. You  can  plant  this  passageway  in  green  stuff 
or  garden  truck  and  it  will  not  be  wasted,  although  it 
will  be  a  bit  more  troublesome  to  care  for  a  long  narrow 
strip  of  this  kind.  But  it  is  well  worth  the  effort. 


WITH  4200  HENS  21 

If  your  land  is  bare,  by  all  means  plan  on  setting  out 
fruit  or  nut  trees.  The  hens  will  fertilize  them  for  you 
and  you  will  be  wetting  down  the  yards  to  keep  the 
ground  moist  and  obviate  dust  colds,  so  they  will  need 
little  if  any  irrigation.  We  have  never  had  nut  trees  in 
our  yards  but  are  considering  resetting  our  old  trees  with 
walnuts.  We  have  had  apricots,  peaches  and  prunes  in 
the  yards  and  derived  some  revenue  from  them  although 
the  birds  eat  and  destroy  a  lot  of  the  fruit;  of  the  three 
the  prunes  were  harmed  the  least. 

You  must  allow  space  for  growing  green  stuff.  In 
the  description  of  our  plant  and  methods  you  will  find  this 
matter  treated  at  length  and  you  can  without  doubt  obtain 
ideas  there  that  can  be  adapted  for  your  own  place.  Some 
think  we  are  wasteful  of  space,  especially  in  our  brooder 
yards,  but  we  make  good  use  in  one  way  or  another  of 
almost  all  the  space  we  have. 

The  Breed  to  Keep 

Under  present  prevailing  conditions  you  have  no  choice 
in  the  matter  of  the  breed  of  chickens  to  keep  on  an  egg 
farm.  It  seems  safe  to  say  that  at  least  90  per  cent  of  the 
hens  on  the  commercial  egg  farms  throughout  the  coun- 
try are  White  Leghorns.  This  being  true  you  can  ill 
afford  to  keep  anything  else.  When  you  are  safely  estab- 
lished you  will  have  hatching  eggs  to  sell.  If  there  is  a 
commercial  hatchery  in  the  section  where  you  locate  the 
chances  are  all  in  favor  of  their  wanting  nothing  but  Leg- 
horn eggs;  and  with  the  kind  of  birds  you  will  have, 
cared  for  as  you  will  care  for  them,  the  hatchery  will 
want  your  eggs. 


22  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Your  chances  of  selling  eggs  of  another  breed  are  slight 
in  comparison.  One  can  work  up  a  sale  for  eggs  from 
other  breeds,  and  it  is  often  possible  to  get  better  prices 
for  them  than  for  the  Leghorns,  but  we  are  planning  for 
the  surest  end  of  the  thing.  Again,  you  may  lean  towarcr 
the  American  breeds,  such  as  the  Rhode  Island  Reds,  or 
the  good  old  Plymouth  Rock.  You  cannot  afford  them. 
They  lay  brown  eggs  and  brown  eggs  are  discounted  in 
price  in  the  primary  markets.  If  you  have  just  a  hand- 
ful you  can  sell  them  to  your  neighbors  or  possibly  to 
the  corner  groceryman  at  regular  prices,  but  you  cannot 
do  that  with  the  product  of  an  egg  farm.  Other  objec- 
tions might  be  advanced  but  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  dis- 
cuss the  matter. 

We  have  often  been  asked  about  the  advantages  of 
crossing  breeds.  The  work  of  Prof.  Dryden  leaves  no 
room  for  doubt  as  to  the  advantages  that  may  be  derived 
from  a  scientific  crossing  of  breeds.  But  until  you  are 
well  along  toward  a  comfortable  financial  surplus,  derived 
from  your  egg-farming  activities  (which  means  that  you 
will  have  had  a  considerable  and  varied  experience  in 
handling  chickens),  you  had  better  leave  experiments  in 
crossing  breeds  to  the  other  fellow;  and  what  has  been 
said  as  to  the  sale  of  hatching  eggs  applies  to  the  cross- 
breeding matter  also. 

Profits  to  Be  Expected 

An  unqualified  estimate  of  probable  profits  to  be  de- 
rived from  egg-farming  cannot  be  made  at  the  time  this 
is  written  (August,  1919).  If  the  prices  of  eggs  and  of 
poultry  feed  stuffs  remain  at  the  level  that  has  prevailed 


WITH  4200  HENS  23 

during  the  present  calendar  Nyear  (1919)  a  flock  of  well- 
bred  and  well-cared-for  birds,  averaging  not  less  than  half 
and  half  of  young  pullets  and  yearling  hens,  should  net 
a  profit  of  not  less  than  $2.50  per  bird. 

If  prices  recede  to  the  pre-war  level,  when  the  whole- 
sale price  of  eggs  (to  the  producer)  dropped  as  low  as 
20c  during  the  storage  months  of  March,  April  and  May ; 
and  if  the  price  of  the  feed  stuffs  also  declines  to  the 
pre-war  level,  when  good  feed-wheat  could  be  bought  in 
large  quantities  at  about  $1.75  per  hundred  (practically 
$1.00  per  bushel)  and  first  class  yellow  corn  could  be  had 
at  $2.00  per  hundred  ($1.12  per  bushel),  (both  prices  be- 
ing on  basis  of  delivery  in  our  barns  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia), under  these  conditions  the  net  profit  per  bird  with 
the  same  flock  should  be  from  $1.25  to  $1.50.  This  is  as 
good  an  estimate  as  anyone  can  make  under  the  condi- 
tions prevailing. 

The  figures  are  based  on  the  writer's  own  experience, 
and  the  yield  per  bird,  which  of  course  governs  the  results, 
is  based  on  the  average  production  he  has  been  able  to 
secure,  to-wit:  from  140  to  150  eggs  per  pullet  and  from 
110  to  120  eggs  from  yearling  hens.  If  you  can  better 
this  production  one  year  for  another  your  profits  will  be 
increased. 

The  estimates  are  based  on  selling  the  product  for  table 
use,  at  market  quotations,  which  is  the  only  safe  basis 
to  count  on.  Sales  of  eggs  for  hatching  purposes  would 
increase  the  profit  per  hen  because  of  the  premium  re- 
ceived over  the  market  price ;  but  as  such  sales  are  prob- 
lematical, the  careful  man  bases  his  calculation  on  the 
assured  price  and  considers  any  premium  derived  as 
"velvet" 


24  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

When  to  Start 

You  may  start  either  in  the  fall  or  in  the  spring.  Fall- 
hatched  chicks  stand  a  good  chance  of  being  the  offspring 
of  good  layers.  They  mature  and  come  into  laying 
quicker  than  the  spring  hatched,  and  the  broiler  cock- 
erels usually  bring  better  prices  in  the  market.  The  dis- 
advantage lies  in  the  size  of  the  eggs.  Fall-hatched  pul- 
lets lay  a  very  small  egg  at  the  start  and  the  eggs  are 
under  normal  size  for  several  months  at  least ;  this 
means  a  discount  on  price.  September  hatched  birds  will 
be  laying  in  February  and  as  this  is  the  beginning  of  the 
flush-laying  season  and  prices  are  always  at  the  low  ebb 
at  that  time,  the  very  small  eggs  bring  a  very  low  price. 
These  birds  will  go  into  a  late  moult,  beginning  usually 
in  September,  and  in  the  year  following  their  first  moult 
they  are  more  than  likely  to  out-lay  a  spring  hatched 
pullet.  They  will  out-earn  a  spring  hatched  pullet  in  the 
first  calendar  year  (January  1  to  December  31)  as  their 
second  moult  will  be  late  and  they  will  be  laying  and 
earning  money  during  July,  August,  September  and  Oc- 
tober, when  the  spring-hatched  bird  is  in  its  lowest  lay- 
ing period.  Our  experience  with  them  indicates  that  one 
can  well  afford  to  carry  a  fall-hatched  bird  an  extra  sea- 
son. If  you  have  them  hatched  in  September,  1919,  they 
will  be  laying  in  February,  1920;  moulting  in  October, 
November  and  December,  1920;  laying  heavily  until 
November,  1921  and  you  can  afford  to  carry  them  until 
September  or  October,  1922.  All  of  this  is  conditioned 
on  your  treating  them  properly,  of  course. 
•  The  fall-hatched  chicks  will  cost  you  more  than  those 
hatched  in  the  spring  whether  you  buy  eggs  for  hatching, 
whether  you  use  eggs  from  your  own  flock,  or  whether 


WITH  4200  HENS  25 

you  buy  baby  chicks,  because  eggs  are  higher  in  price  at 
that  time  and  for  the  further  reason  that  not  only  will 
the  fertility  of  the  eggs  be  lower  but  the  hatchability  of 
the  fertile  eggs  will  also  be  lower.  But  this  increased  cost 
will  be  offset  to  a  large  extent,  if  not  entirely,  by  the  fact 
that  the  cockerels  sold  as  broilers  will  bring  a  higher 
price,  and  the  pullets  will  mature  and  be  self-sustaining 
at  an  earlier  date. 

If  you  wish  to  start  in  the  fall,  September  15th  to  Octo- 
ber 1st  would  be  a  good  time  to  have  your  hatch  come  off. 

By  far  the  greater  proportion  of  chicks  are  brought  off 
in  March  and  April.  These  are  generally  considered  the 
ideal  months.  But  if  you  will  have  several  broods  ol 
chicks,  and  especially  if  this  is  your  first  experience,  the 
writer  recommends  that  you  have  one  brood  in  the  month 
of  January,  preferably  about  the  middle  of  the  month. 
This  will  give  you  some  experience  before  you  enter 
the  heavier  hatching  season.  The  objection  to  January 
hatched  chicks  is  the  fact  that  they  will  moult  the  fol- 
lowing summer  and  fall.  You  can  count  on  reaching 
the  low  ebb  of  egg  production  from  January  hatched  pul- 
lets in  October  and  November,  the  season  of  highest 
prices.  They  will  show  an  increase  in  eggs  late  in  No- 
vember ;  will  gain  fast  in  December,  and  by  January  will 
do  as  well  or  better  than  the  spring-hatched  birds  that 
did  not  moult.  And  if  you  keep  the  accurate  records  you 
will  be  advised  to  keep  you  will  find  that  in  .spite  of  their 
moult,  your  January  hatched  pullets  have  earned  as  much 
above  the  cost  of  feed  on  January  1st  as  your  later  hatched 
birds  that  did  not  moult.  This  is  because  they  mature 
and  become  self-sustaining  quicker  than  the  later  birds. 


26  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

The  same  objection  may  be  made  to  the  January  as  to 
the  fall-hatched — their  first  eggs  will  be  very  small ;  but 
the  eggs  gain  in  size  faster  than  the  fall-hatched,  and  in 
addition  these  first  small  eggs  will  come  into  the  market 
at  a  better  time,  the  time  when  the  flush  of  the  lay  is 
over  and  when  prices  are  beginning  to  advance.  The 
cockerels  from  a  January  hatch  are  ideal  for  breeders. 
We  use  nothing  else.  The  broiler  cockerels  come  in  at 
the  very  peak  of  the  market — if  they  are  properly  handled. 

Your  heaviest  broods  of  chicks  should  come  off  in 
March.  If  you  have  two  lots,  March  10th  and  March 
25th,  would  be  good  dates.  If  you  have  but  one,  let  it  be 
the  15th.  The  pullets  from  this  hatch  will  give  you  their 
first  eggs  in  August.  They  will  be  nearly  if  not  quite 
self-sustaining  in  September — by  which  is  meant  they 
will  pay  for  their  feed — and  will  show  a  profit  in  Octo- 
ber. Some  of  the  quicker-maturing  ones  will  go  through 
a  light  moult,  but  taking  the  flock  as  a  whole  the  moult 
will  not  amount  to  much.  Some  years  whole  flocks  of 
March  pullets  will  go  through  a  light  moult  in  their 
first  fall,  but  this  is  exceptional,  due,  usually,  to  extreme 
weather  conditions.  A  mild  spring  and  summer  followed 
by  an  extremely  hot  spell  early  in  September  is  likely 
to  bring  on  a  moult.  Improper  feeding  or  a  sudden 
change  of  rations  in  August  will  do  the  same  thing. 

Some  years  April  hatched  chicks  will  do  as  well  and 
even  better  than  those  hatched  in  March  but  we  prefer 
the  latter  month.  We  can  offer  no  encouragement  to  the 
idea  of  hatching  chicks  for  commercial  egg-farming  in 
May,  June,  July  or  August. 

Whenever  you   start,   whether   in   the   fall   or   in   the 


WITH  4200  HENS  27 

spring,  be  absolutely  certain  that  at  least  the  brooder 
house  is  ready  a  month  ahead  of  time.  You  might  just 
as  well  have  it  ready  a  month  ahead  as  one  day.  This  is 
more  important  if  you  are  entirely  new  to  the  work. 
You  must  not  be  rushed  and  bothered  when  you  have 
your  first  brood  of  chicks  on  your  hands.  You  want  all 
the  time  in  the  world.  If  you  are  of  a  nervous  disposition 
you  will  realize  the  force  of  this  advice  about  two  hours 
after  your  first  chicks  are  turned  loose  in  your  brooder 
house. 


PART  TWO 

The  discussion  enlarged,  to  include  the  idea  of  using  a 
rented  or  leased  place  at  the  start. 


Capital  Required 

So  far  as  the  chickens  themselves  are  concerned  it  is 
comparatively  easy  to  tell  you  what  capital  you  must 
have.  You  can  safely  count  on  needing  85c  to  mature  a 
pullet — $850  for  one  thousand — if  you  start  at  the  time 
herein  recommended.  This  is  based  on  your  selling  the 
cockerels  as  broilers  as  soon  as  they  are  ready  for  market 
and  applying  the  proceeds  on  your  feed  bills  as  you  go 
along.  It  is  based  also  on  your  starting  with  either  hatch- 
ing eggs  or  baby  chicks  of  a  good  strain  from  some  com- 
mercial breeder  or  from  some  hatchery  that  specializes 
on  first-class  chicks  for  egg-farming  purposes.  Such 
chicks  would  cost  you  under  present  conditions  from 
approximately  20c  in  January  to  12  or  13c  in  March  or 
April  and  perhaps  16c  in  September.  Under  pre-war  con- 
ditions they  would  have  cost  perhaps  15c,  lOc  and  12c 
for  the  same  months. 

If  you  go  in  for  higher  grade  stock  at  the  start,  chicks 
from  trap-nested  flocks  or  from  birds  bred  for  show  pur- 
poses as  well  as  for  utility,  there  is  no  telling  what  the 
chicks  would  cost  you;  any  estimate  made  would  be  a 
mere  guess.  Let  us  say  you  pay  30c  for  the  chicks  in 
January.  The  writer's  "guess"  as  to  the  cost  of  raising 
the  pullets  then  would  be  $1.10,  an  increase  of  25c.  The 
increase  is  seemingly  out  of  proportion  but  it  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  broiler  cockerels  from  the  higher  priced 


WITH  4200  HENS  29 

chicks  bring  you  no  more  than  those  from  the  cheaper 
ones,  and  the  pullet  you  raise  must  stand  the  extra  cost 
of  the  cockerel  you  sell.  Furthermore,  the  pullet  raised 
must  also  stand  the  extra  cost  on  the  chicks  that  die  off. 
This  is  the  best  estimate  that  can  be  given  you  for  such 
a  circumstance. 

The  entire  estimate  is  based  on  your  raising  what  would 
be  considered  a  fair  percentage  of  your  chicks.  You  may 
do  better  and  it  is  easily  possible  to  do  far  worse ;  but 
you  ought  to  do  at  least  as  well  as  this. 

To  carry  the  subject  of  capital  required  farther  than 
this  we  must  use  a  concrete  illustration.  Let  us  say,  for 
instance,  that  you  want  to  start  on  the  basis  of  living  ex- 
penses of  $1,000  to  $1,200  a  year;  that  you  want  to  keep 
enough  hens  to  yield  you  that  much.  The  safe  and  con- 
servative thing  to  do  is  to  base  your  estimates  on  the 
profits  that  were  to  be  expected  in  pre-war  times  which, 
you  will  recall,  we  set  down  at  from  $1.25  to  $1.50  per 
hen.  We  all  hope  never  to  get  back  to  that  level,  01 
course.  If  we  do  not,  then  we  will  be  better  off  than  our 
illustrated  basis;  we  will  have  more  than  our  $1,000  to 
$1,200.  Better  that  than  to  be  disappointed.  Let  us  say 
also  that  you  are  renting  or  will  rent  (or  lease)  the  place 
to  be  used  at  the  start.  Let  us  say  furthermore  that  you 
want  to  get  started  in  March.  Here  then  is  what  you 
must  provide  for : 

You  must  take  possession  of  the  place  early  in  Jan- 
uary, say  January  1st;  this  gives  you  time  to  clean  up, 
put  the  brooder  house  in  shape,  plant  the  brooder  yard 
(to  freshen  the  ground),  and  to  get  some  green  stuff 
started. 


30  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Your  pullets  should  be  self-sustaining  by  October  1st 
and  should  give  you  enough  surplus  in  October  to  pay 
your  rent  and  living  expenses.  We  must  bridge  the  gap 
between  January  and  October. 

Say  your  rent  is  $30.00  per  month — you  will  need 
$270.00  for  rent  from  January  to  October. 

You  want  from  $1,000  to  $1,200  per  year  to  live  on— 
for  nine  months  this  would  be  let  us  say  $900. 

We  have  tried  to  be  conservative  thus  far,  let  us  con- 
tinue on  that  plan  and  count  on  1,000  pullets;  for  that 
number  you  should  have  $850.00. 

You  will  need  some  tools  and  appliances — $50.00  prop- 
erly spent  will  provide  the  things  absolutely  needed  at 
the  start. 

This  gives  us  a  total  requirement  of  $2,070. 

There  may  be  some  special  requirements.  You  may 
have  to  spend  some  money  re-arranging,  rebuilding  or 
renovating  the  buildings  on  the  place.  We  cannot  esti- 
mate this — you  will  have  to  do  that  for  yourself  or  have 
a  carpenter  do  it  for  you.  You  will  need  troughs  and 
chick  fountains,  later  you  will  need  larger  sizes  of  same 
for  the  developing  birds,  and  finally  of  a  size  suitable 
for  matured  birds.  We  will  count  on  $80  for  these 
items.  This  gives  us  a  grand  total  then  of  $2,150. 

But  we  cannot  quite  afford  to  stop  at  this  point.  We 
are  now  on  our  feet ;  we  have  an  income  sufficient  to  take 
care  of  us  but  if  we  stop  there  we  get  into  trouble.  Per- 
haps half  of  the  failures  are  due  to  that  premature  stop. 
We  must  bear  in  mind  that  these  pullets — that  began 
laying  in  August  and  laid  heavily  enough  in  October  to 
pay  not  only  their  feed  but  our  rent  and  living  expenses 


WITH  4200  HENS  31 

beside — will  reach  the  end  of  their  string,  so  to  speak. 
When  we  get  along  to  August  and  September,  nearly  a 
year  later,  our  biddies  will  go  back  on  us ;  they  will  be 
feeling  the  effects  of  the  moult.  And  in  October  and  No- 
vember we  are  exceedingly  likely  to  be  face  to  face  with 
the  proposition  of  putting  them  on  half  rations,  to  stand 
off  the  landlord,  and  either  to  quit  eating  our  own  meals 
or  else  to  stand  off  the  butcher,  the  baker  and  candlestick 
maker. 

We  may  have  taken  the  best  end  of  it  in  our  estimates 
— quite  likely  we  really  have  stored  up  a  surplus ;  but 
we  are  being  cautious  about  the  thing  and  not  counting 
on  the  best  possible  results.  So  we  must  prepare  for 
this  season  of  shortage.  We  do  it  by  repeating  what  we 
did  last  March.  We  take  on  another  lot  of  baby  chicks, 
part  of  them  perhaps  in  January,  the  balance  in  March. 
For  this  we  need  another  $850.00,  and  we  should  have  it 
in  sight  before  we  get  started. 

This  gives  us  then  a  grand  total  of  about  $3,000.  And 
this  is  the  sum  the  writer  would  tell  you  you  should 
have  in  sight  if  you  want  to  go  into  the  business  on  the 
basis  outlined.  You  do  not  need  it  all  at  once ;  the  last 
$850  will  not  be  needed  until  about  a  year  after  the 
start  is  made,  and  you  may  not  need  all  of  it  at  that,  but 
you  should  know  where  it  can  be  had  if  you  do  need  it. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways :  Are  you 
content  to  make  just  your  living  expenses  and  rent,  or  do 
you  want  to  forge  ahead? 

If  you  are  content  to  make  your  living  and  stop  at  that 
your  best  plan  would  be  to  sell  off  the  first-raised  pullets 
at  the  end  of  their  first  laying  season,  probably  in  Sep- 


32  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

tember  or  October.  Your  second  pullets  will  take  their 
place.  You  can  easily  sell  them  as  layers  if  you  are  in 
a  poultry-keeping  district  and  you  should  get  at  least 
$1.00  each  for  them.  In  this  way  you  will  get  back  a 
large  part  if  not  all  of  the  last  $850  you  needed,  the  cost 
of  the  second  year's  pullets.  You  might  think  that  at 
$1.00  each  you  would  get  it  all  back  and  more,  too,  but 
you  will  have  lost  some  of  them — we  all  lose  hens. 

Another  plan  would  be  to  raise  six  or  seven  hundred 
pullets  the  second  year,  reducing  your  needed  capital  by 
the  difference,  and  carry  over  three  or  four  hundred  of 
the  first  pullets  through  a  second  laying  season,  selling 
the  remainder.  Notice  particularly  that  you  are  advised 
to  raise  and  carry  more  pullets  on  this  plan  than  yearling 
hens.  This  is  important.  You  must  not  lose  sight,  even 
for  a  moment,  of  the  fact  that  you  will  be  faced  with 
three  or  four  "lean"  months  in  the  fall  of  your  second  year 
when  your  first  pullets  are  moulting,  and  you  must  cover 
those  months  by  the  earnings  of  newly-raised  pullets.  To 
do  this  you  must  have  more  new  layers  than  old  moulters. 
If  you  make  the  total  flock  1,000  birds  on  this  plan  you 
are  taking  up  what  leeway  you  had  between  the  prob- 
able earnings  of  1,000  pullets  and  the  $1,000  to  $1,200  you 
thought  you  wanted  to  clear,  and  you  will  make  less  net 
money  the  second  year  than  you  did  the  first.  You  can 
help  overcome  this  difference  by  mating  the  carry-over 
birds  during  your  second  spring  and  using  your  own  eggs 
for  hatching,  also  selling  the  surplus  eggs  for  hatching 
purposes. 

In  this  way  you  should  clear  as  much  the  second  year 
as  the  first — if  you  find  the  market  for  the  surplus  hatch- 


WITH  4200  HENS  33 

ing  eggs.  Look  into  the  possibility  of  doing  this  before 
deciding  which  course  to  pursue.  The  first  course,  (sell- 
ing off  the  entire  first  flock),  is  the  surest  way. 

If  you  want  to  forge  ahead,  carry  over  all  of  the  first 
year's  pullets  that  are  worth  keeping — you  will  learn 
later  how  we  cull  them, — mate  them  all  and  provide  all 
of  your  own  hatching  eggs.  Even  though  you  do  not 
find  an  assured  market  for  your  surplus  hatching  eggs, 
you  will  save  enough  on  your  own  chicks  to  make  it 
worth  while  to  mate  these  birds. 

Following  this  second  plan  you  will  have  1,000  pullets 
and  perhaps  800  yearling  hens  the  second  year  and  then 
you  are  on  a  fair  road  to  success  and  independence.  You 
will  need  no  more  outside  capital ;  you  will  make  enough 
surplus  profit  to  enable  you  to  build  up  as  large  a  flock 
as  you  may  be  ambitious  enough  to  strive  for  and  if  you 
follow  in  the  writer's  footsteps  you  will  soon  be  buying 
a  place  of  your  own  and  putting  up  the  kind  of  a  plant 
you  have  meantime  come  to  dream  of  as  the  ideal  plant 
for  an  egg  farm. 

Starting  Small  While  Working  Elsewhere 

The  possibility  of  getting  a  start  in  the  work'  while 
engaged  in  other  work  is  a  question  concerning  which  we 
have  had  many  inquiries.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  say  this  is 
entirely  feasible  and  possible  if  you  have  the  right  kind 
of  a  wife. 

The  means  and  method  can  best  be  illustrated  by 
the  case  of  a  man  who  was  employed  on  our  place. 
He  left  us  to  take  a  better  paying  job  as  gardener  on  a 
large  estate.  He  lived  on  a  city  lot.  Nearby  was  a 
vacant  tract  of  several  acres,  which  he  rented  or  leased 
by  the  year.  He  built  a  brooder  house  on  his  own  lot, 


34  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

where  it  would  be  close  at  hand,  large  enough  to  brood 
1,200  chicks.     He  had  money  enough  to  provide  house- 
room  for  and  to  raise  500  pullets.     We  advised  him  to 
brood  one  lot  in  January  and  another  in  March,  and  to 
try  for  500  pullets  in  each  lot,  with  the  idea  of  selling 
half  of  each  lot  when  they  were  about  three  months  old. 
It  is  quite  as  easy  to  brood  1,200  chicks  as  600;  the  work 
and  expense  for  fuel  is  no  greater ;  and  there  is  no  trouble 
in  disposing  of  three  months'  old  pullets  at  a  good  price. 
He  followed  this  plan,  and  did  so  well  with  the  January 
lot  both  as  to  the  number  he  raised  and  the  price  he  ob- 
tained for  them  that  he  was  able  to  retain  the  March 
hatch  entirely,  giving  him  750  pullets  instead  of  the  500 
he  thought  was  the  maximum  he  could  finance.     He  did 
the  heavy  part  of  the  work  mornings  and  evenings,  his 
wife  caring  for  the  chicks  during  the  day.     His  laying 
houses,  following  ours  in  plan,  he  built  in  separate  sec- 
tions, each  16x16  feet.    He  is  using  the  dirt  floor.    When 
he  gets  ready  to  move  to  a  larger  place  of  his  own  he  can 
load  these  houses  on  low-slung  moving  trucks,  set  them 
where  he  wants  them,  fit  them  together,  and  he  will  have 
his   long,   continuous   laying-house.     He   did   all   of   his 
building  work  alone  and  unaided,  putting  in  his  time  after 
he  came  home  from  his  regular  work.    This  is  going  after 
it  strenuously,  but  it  is  the  spirit  that  succeeds. 

There  has  been  considerable  discussion  in  our  home  as 
to  who  deserves  the  greater  credit  for  his  success — the 
man  or  his  wife.  (She  was  caring  for  three  young  chil- 
dren at  the  time).  I  give  the  man  the  greater  credit- 
he  picked  his  wife.  But  this  case  shows  what  can  be 
done  by  people  of  the  right  kind. 


WITH  42UU  HENS  35 

How  to  Start. 

The  easiest  way  to  get  started,  so  far  as  the  birds  are 
concerned,  would  be  to  buy  pullets  nearly  or  quite  ma- 
tured. Many  people  base  their  plans  on  such  a  scheme. 

From  a  basic  standpoint  the  idea  is  wrong-  and  if  you 
expect  to  succeed  you  had  better  get  rid  of  the  notion  at 
the  very  start.  There  is  only  one  secret  of  success  in  the 
work — the  handling'  and  raising  of  baby  chicks,  and  unless 
you  learn  to  do  this  you  will  fail.  This  is  because  of  the 
uncertainty  of  being  able  to  buy  pullets  of  the  kind  you 
must  have,  birds  that  were  hatched  at  the  right  time,  the 
offspring  of  the  right  kind  of  stock,  and  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  them.  There  may  be  places  where  you  can  buy 
pullets  to  fill  this  bill,  at  prices  you  can  afford  to  pay, 
but  if  so  the  writer  is  not  aware  of  it.  To  put  it  stilt' 
plainer,  you  must  be  able  to  place  an  order  for  say  1,000 
pullets,  hatched  March  1st  to  30th,  out  of  the  right  kind 
of  stock,  at  a  price  not  to  exceed  $1.50,  for  delivery  about 
August  15th.  At  the  price  named  you  would  be  paying 
$650.00  more  for  the  birds  than  the  estimate  made  as  to 
the  cost  of  raising  them  yourself. 

You  can  buy  pullets — and  so-called  pullets;  and  at 
times  you  can  pick  up  a  few,  even  a  few  dozen,  here 
and  there  that  are  worth  buying.  People  who  raised 
them  are  moving  away  or  have  grown  tired  of  putting 
money  into  them  without  returns,  or  sickness  disrupts 
the  plan  that  caused  them  to  be  raised.  At  times  some 
would-be  egg-farmer  becomes  disgusted  or  his  money 
gives  out,  and  you  might  pick  up  several  hundred.  Under 
such  circumstances  you  can  buy  them  for  a  dollar  and 
even  less.  Again,  you  can  buy  them  of  dealers.  In  the 


36  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

latter  case  the  chances  are  ten  to  one  that  you  are  buy- 
ing someone's  culls,  or  what  he  thinks  are  culls ;  and 
there  is  an  even  chance  that  you  are  buying  some  early 
moulting  hens,  especially  if  you  get  them  along  in  Novem- 
ber or  December. 

All  of  this  is  entirely  too  haphazard  for  you  may  find, 
when  October  1st  arrives,  that  instead  of  replacing  your 
old  hens  with  1,000  pullets  you  have  instead  200  or  300 
birds  of  more  or  less  uncertain  age  and  of  still  more 
uncertain  pedigree,  and  your  year  is  wasted,  which  means 
that  you  will  have  to  look  to  other  sources  for  your  in- 
come and  livelihood. 

The  writer  has  known  of  one  or  two  instances  where 
people  have  bought  as  many  as  several  hundred  very 
good  pullets  that  he  himself  would  have  bought  had  the 
chance  offered ;  and  picking  up  a  dozen  birds  that  would 
make  a  wonderful  showing  is  not  unusual,  but  relying 
on  such  chances  has  no  place  in  commercial  egg-farming. 

You  must  learn  the  trick  of  caring  for  baby  chicks. 
Whether  you  start  with  hatching  eggs  or  with  baby 
chicks  from  some  poultryman  or  from  a  commercial 
hatchery  is  immaterial  so  far  as  this  phase  of  the  matter 
is  concerned.  But  if  you  do  not  care  to  undertake  the 
drudgery  and  the  close  confinement  involved  in  prop- 
erly brooding  and  handling  baby  chicks  you  had  better 
not  enter  commercial  egg-farming. 


PART  THREE 

A  description  of  The  Tumbach  Egg  Farm  from  which 
ideas  may  be  obtained  as  to  the  laying-out  of  a  plant; 
and  of  the  buildings  used,  from  which  ideas  may  be 
had  as  to  buildings  that  have  been  proven  practicable 
and  conducive  to  success  in  Southern  California. 


The  Plant 

The  Tumbach  Egg  Farm  is  laid  out  on  a  5-acre  tract 
just  outside  the  city  limits  of  Pasadena  and  about  16 
miles  from  the  business  center  of  Los  Angeles.  The  loca- 
tion means  not  only  quick  communication  with  one  of 
the  greatest  markets  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  but 
proximity  to  city  life  with  its  conveniences  and  pleasures, 
and  minus  the  annoyances  of  city  restrictions.  In  reply 
to  many  inquiries  the  writer  admits  that  this  is  high 
priced  land  for  an  egg  farm.  We  figure  we  paid  $1,000 
per  acre  for  the  privilege  of  living  in  this  particular  local- 
ity and  that  $500  per  acre  is  the  value  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  business  we  are  engaged  in.  (To  be  fair  to 
the  biddies  let  it  be  said  they  have  paid  the  whole  cost). 

Our  experimental  work  was  done  on  a  leased  place, 
this  property  being  bought  3^  years  ago.  The  plant, 
both  as  to  location  of  the  buildings  and  as  to  their  type 
and  character,  is  the  result  of  year  by  year  evolution  on 
the  leased  place,  in  the  course  of  which  most  of  the  suc- 
cessful egg  farms  in  this  section  of  the  State  were  visited. 
Ideas  were  obtained  from  generous  poultrymen  whose 
courtesy  the  writer  has  already  acknowledged  and  hereby 
acknowledges  again.  The  land  was  surveyed  ana 


WITH  4200  HENS  39 

platted  and  the  location  of  the  various  buildings  was  the 
subject  of  study  extending  over  a  period  of  months. 

The  soil  is  very  light  and  sandy  and  the  whole  place 
is  covered  with  old  peach  and  prune  trees.  Reference 
to  the  plat  will  show  how  the  grounds  are  laid  out  and 
the  relative  location  of  buildings  and  yards. 

Nearly  an  acre  is  given  over  to  the  residence  and 
family  orchard,  this  being  on  the  best  part  of  the  land — 
the  southeast  corner.  The  long  frontage  on  the  boule- 
vard is  planted  to  alfalfa,  to  a  depth  of  from  125  to  175 
feet.  This  not  only  keeps  the  chickens  and  their  equip- 
ment from  becoming  an  eye  sore  to  the  neighborhood, 
(as  they  might  be  to  some  if  they  were  directly  on  this 
much-traveled  thoroughfare),  but  in  addition  the  long 
stretch  of  alfalfa  is  not  only  very  useful  and  necessary, 
but  is  also,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  an  attractive 
sight. 

The  brooder  houses  and  yards,  you  will  see,  are  located 
nearest  the  residence.  This  is  for  quick  accessibility  at 
night  if  necessary.  The  cockerel  house  is  just  beyond  the 
brooder  houses. 

The  main  feed-house  is  located  almost  in  the  center  of 
the  plant.  To  have  it  so  located  means  giving  up  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  ground  for  a  driveway  to  it;  better  that, 
better  we  think  to  make  that  much  of  an  investment  at 
the  outset  than  to  be  spending  hours  of  time  and  a  world 
of  labor,  day  after  day,  dragging  feed  stuff  the  further 
distance  it  would  have  to  be  carried  if  the  feed  were 
stored  at  one  end  of  the  plant.  In  one  end  of  the  feed 
house  is  the  tool-room  and  place  for  the  greens-cutter 
with  its  driving  motor. 


SO    foo-r- 


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L/fYlNG 


fco-r 


Housz, 


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PLAT  OF  THE   TUMBACh 


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42  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

The  egg-room,  directly  across  from  the  feed  house,  is 
also  centrally  located.  The  trucks,  in  which  the  eggs  are 
taken  to  market,  drive  right  up  to  it.  The  car-shed  next 
to  it  is  for  a  little  delivery  car  used  on  odd  errands.  The 
grain-sprouting  shed  with  a  little  storage  place  for  the 
grain  which  is  to  be  sprouted  are  temporary  arrange- 
ments. Eventually  they  will  be  made  part  of  the  egg- 
room  building. 

The  manure-box  shown  is  used  for  dumping  and  meas- 
uring the  manure  as  it  is  brought  from  the  dropping 
boards.  The  manure  is  carted  away  by  the  purchaser  im- 
mediately after  each  cleaning. 

On  either  side  of  the  main  feed  house  is  a  150- foot  lay- 
ing house  with  yards  the  length  of  the  house  and  100  feet 
deep.  You  will  notice  the  yard  gates  open  toward  the 
feed  house.  Behind  these  two  laying  houses  is  a  12  foot 
passageway,  and  beyond  the  passageway  are  two  more 
150  foot  yards  with  a  150  foot  laying  house  at  the  upper 
end  of  each.  Between  the  two  upper  yards  is  a  12  foot 
passageway  and  between  the  two  upper  houses  is  a  12- 
foot  mash-storage  shed.  The  upper  yards  have  gates 
both  near  the  house,  opening  into  the  passageway,  and 
in  the  lower  end,  opening  toward  the  main  feed  house. 

The  point  about  the  arrangement  is  this :  The  grain 
feed  is  stored  in  the  main  feed  house.  The  feed  is  carried 
into  the  lower  yards  through  the  side  gates,  the  greatest 
carry  being  150  feet  either  way;  and  for  the  upper  yards 
it  is  carried  through  the  lower  gates,  the  furthest  carry, 
when  the  yards  are  subdivided,  being  about  200  feet. 
When  all  four  houses  are  filled  two  men  can  easily  feed 
the  whole  flock  of  6,000  to  6,500  birds  in  15  minutes.  The 


WITH  4200  HENS  43 

mash  for  the  two  lower  houses  is  laid  down  in  the  main 
feed  house,  and  for  the  upper  houses  the  delivery  trucks 
back  up  the  passageway  and  lay  the  mash  down  in  the 
upper  shed.  One  hundred  and  fifty  feet  either  way  is 
the  extreme  carry. 

An  old  shed  is  used  for  storing  the  feed  for  the  young 
chicks,  located  just  across  the  main  road  from  the 
brooder  houses. 

The  hospital,  observation  and  cull  houses  are  located 
behind  the  cockerel  house  and  near  the  main  feed  house. 

After  more  than  three  years  of  day  by  day  use  of  this 
plant  the  writer  can  truthfully  say  that  if  he  had  it  all  to 
do  over  again  he  would  not  make  a  single  change  in  the 
laying-out  of  the  plant  or  the  location  of  the  several  build- 
ings. 

The  Buildings 
Brooder  Houses 

The  brooder  houses,  three  at  present  with  space  alloted 
for  a  fourth,  are  each  14x24  feet.  These  buildings  are  not 
uniform  and  are  of  crude  design  and  construction,  having 
been  used  on  the  old  plant.  (See  illustration  page  84.) 
A  gable  roof  is  used.  The  sides  are  5  feet  high  and  the 
peak  of  the  gable  is  &l/2  feet  high.  The  sills  are  laid  on  a 
concrete  foundation,  in  which  two  ventilators  are  set  to 
allow  a  circulation  of  air  under  the  floor.  A  tongue-ana- 
groove  flooring  is  used,  driven  up  tight  and  top-nailed  to 
keep  it  so.  We  have  different  arrangements  of  windows 
in  each  house.  The  most  satisfactory  is  three  24x36 
inch  single  light  sash  in  the  south  side  of  the  building, 
and  two  9x14  inch  in  the  north  side.  The  south  lights  are 
flush  with  the  plate  at  the  top  and  the  bottom  rests  on  a 


44  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

girth  set  to  receive  it.  These  windows  open  from  the 
top.  Hinges  can  be  used  on  the  bottom  but  we  nail  a 
very  light  strip  along  the  bottom,  close  against  the  frame, 
which  keeps  it  from  Avorking  out;  this  scheme  has  the  ad- 
vantage that  the  windows  can  be  taken  out  entirely  if 
desired.  A  strip  of  light  muslin  is  tacked  to  each  side  of 
the  window,  fastened  to  the  wall,  close  up  at  the  bottom, 
wider  at  the  top ;  this  serves  not  only  to  hold  the  window 
in  place  when  it  is  opened  but  also  to  keep  direct  drafts 
from  striking  down  on  the  chicks.  The  little  windows  in 
the  back  wall  are  set  close  to  the  ends  of  the  house  up 
near  the  plate,  and  are  nailed  in  place.  The  main  purpose 
of  these  little  windows  is  to  help  the  chicks  find  the 
roosts.  They  seem  to  take  more  readily  to  the  roost  side 
of  the  house  if  there  is  even  a  little  light  there. 

A  muslin  curtain  is  hung  over  each  of  the  front  win- 
dows large  enough  to  cover  the  glass  completely.  It  is 
weighted  at  the  bottom  by  nailing  it  between  two  laths, 
the  laths  extending  several  inches  on  each  end.  Nails  are 
driven  on  each  side  of  the  window  and  a  wire  loop  on  the 
end  of  the  lath  allows  the  curtains  to  be  rolled  and 
hung  up. 

Our  most  satisfactory  brooder  house  is  lined  with 
tongue  and  groove  lumber  to  a  height  of  three  feet.  The 
other  houses  have  a  twelve  inch  board  resting  edgewise 
on  the  flooring,  nailed  to  the  studding  or  to  false  studs 
inserted,  with  a  quarter  round  moulding  in  the  corner; 
above  this  a  lining  of  tar  paper  extends  to  the  plate.  We 
do  not  use  ceiling  under  the  roof.  A  low  ceiling  may 
save  fuel,  but  it  makes  the  room  too  stuffy. 

The  door  is  placed  in  either  end,  according  to  conveni- 


WITH  4200  HENS  45 

ence.  But  it  should  not  be  placed  in  the  center  under  the 
gable,  but  to  the  south  side,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with 
the  roosts. 

The  opening  into  the  yards  is  placed  in  the  front  wall 
near  one  end,  across  the  room  from  the  main  entrance. 
It  is  12  inches  high  and  24  inches  long.  A  slide  is  prefer- 
able. 

The  roosts  are  made  of  *^x2-inch  stuff  running  length- 
wise of  the  house,  preferably  in  two  or  three  sections,  set 
4  inches  apart  on  cross  bars  of  Ix3-inch.  They  are 
hinged  with  T  hinges,  the  flange  of  the  hinge  fastening 
either  to  the  tongue  and  groove  lining  or  to  the  12-inch 
board.  They  are  set  8  inches  high.  Made  in  this  way 
the  roost  can  be  hung  against  the  wall  until  needed. 

Ventilation  is  provided  by  means  of  two  airshafts,  lOx 
24  inches,  made  absolutely  airtight.  The  inlet  shaft,  24 
inches  high,  is  set  to  one  side  of  the  door,  a  hole  being- 
cut  in  the  floor  to  fit  it.  A  slide  cover  fits  over  the  top, 
arranged  to  slide  away  from  the  door.  This  makes  it 
possible  to  control  the  amount  of  air  admitted.  A  screen 
of  1-inch  netting  is  tacked  across  the  shaft  just  below  the 
slide. 

The  outlet  shaft  is  set  in  the  other  end  of  the  building, 
one  edge  of  it  resting  against  the  ridge  board.  It  is  fas- 
tened against  the  outer  wall  and  hangs  18  inches  above 
the  floor,  extending  through  the  roof  to  a  height  of  2  feet 
above  the  peak  of  the  gable.  A  little  gable  covering  on 
top  keeps  out  the  rain,  the  sides  being  left  open  for  the  air 
passage.  These  side  openings  are  covered  with  1-inch 
mesh  wire.  (We  once  found  one  of  our  many  family  cats 
sleeping  warm  and  comfortable  nine  feet  below  the  gable 


46  HOW  I  MADf  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

opening  of  the  outlet  shaft  on  the  lower  slide.)  The  out- 
flow of  air  is  controlled  by  two  slides.  The  lower  one  is 
at  the  very  bottom  of  the  shaft,  arranged  to  slide  away 
from  the  direction  of  the  roosts.  The  upper  one,  9x18 
inches,  is  in  the  face  of  the  shaft  6  feet  above  the  floor. 
This  upper  air  slide,  a  valuable  idea,  was  obtained  from 
the  Kresky  Brooder  Stove  literature.  The  use  of  it  will 
be  learned  in  the  discussion  of  brooding. 

We  use  the  stove  method  of  brooding.  From  the  de- 
scription given  it  will  be  seen  that  we  do  not  use  the  two- 
room,  or  cooling-room,  plan. 

An  automatic  alarm  system  is  in  use  in  the  brooder 
houses.  This  consists  of  a  thermostatic  plate  with  two 
points  of  contact,  adjustable  in  both  directions,  wired  to 
a  bell  (and  batteries)  located  in  the  sleeping  porch  of  the 
residence  The  thermostat  is  hung  about  12  inches  above 
the  floor,  3  feet  from  the  stove  and  facing  the  stove.  Prop- 
erly adjusted,  and  this  can  be  done  only  by  considerable 
patient  experimenting,  this  alarm  system  is  well  worth 
its  cost  both  in  money  and  in  the  time  spent  on  it.  The 
best  of  us  are  liable  to  overlook  the  fuel  tank  some  mean, 
fretful  day;  or  a  stove  may  go  wrong  even  with  a  full 
fuel  tank ;  or  the  needle  valve  in  the  feed  line  may  stick — 
we  know  from  experience  that  the  alarm  system  is  val- 
uable. 

We  have  been  asked  why  we  build  our  brooder  houses 
in  separate  units  instead  of  having  one  long  building, 
which  would  save  walls,  fuel  and  footsteps.  The  latter 
idea  was  considered  and  discarded  because  we  do  not  care 
to  risk  all  the  eggs  in  one  basket — the  danger  of  fire  is 
present  wherever  a  stove  is  used,  especially  so  when  oil 


WITH  4200  HENS  47 

is  the  fuel  and  the  floor  is  covered  with  straw.  The 
burner  must  be  cleaned  regularly,  and  especially  with 
very  young  chicks  one  cannot  let  the  flame  die  out  en- 
tirely; it  would  take  too  long  to  start  it  up  again  and 
bring  the  temperature  back.  The  tiniest  splash  of  burn- 
ing oil  on  the  bed  of  warm  straw  would  spell  the  doom  of 
the  house  and  all  in  it;  and  we  think  we  have  a  chance 
to  save  the  other  houses  when  there  is  a  reasonable  space 
between.  Ours  are  set  from  15  to  20  feet  apart. 

The  brooder  yards  are  each  40-50  feet  wide  and  90  feet 
long,  subdivided  into  three  sections.  The  first  section  is 
18x24  feet.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  2-foot  fence.  (See  il- 
lustration page  84.)  An  8-inch  board  is  used  at  the  bot- 
tom and  a  3-inch  strip  at  the  top.  One-inch  mesh  netting 
covers  the  intervening  space.  A  panel  made  of  12-inch 
boards  is  kept  in  the  yards  and  on  windy  days,  also  when 
the  chicks  are  first  turned  out,  the  panels  are  fastened 
into  place,  forming  a  2-foot  windbreak  and  shelter  all 
around  this  first  yard.  A  sloping  2-foot  roof  extends  in- 
ward from  this  fence,  about  30  inches  high  on  the  inner 
edge,  forming  shade  in  hot  weather  and  protection  dur- 
ing light  rains  when  the  chicks  may  be  outdoors. 

Running  water  is  provided  in  this  first  yard,  under  the 
roof,  a  shallow  crock  and  a  float  valve  being  used. 

The  second  division  of  the  yard  is  about  20x50  feet.  This 
yard  is  enclosed  by  a  fence  with  an  18-inch  strip  of  1^2- 
inch  mesh  netting  at  the  bottom  and  6  feet  of  2-inch  mesn 
netting  above  it,  the  base  board  being  10  inches  wide. 
There  is  quite  a  saving  in  this  form  of  fence  construction. 
Twelve-inch  lumber  costs  more  in  proportion  than  10- 
inch  ;  and  under  present  market  conditions  the  difference 


48  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

in  price  between  ll/2  and  2-inch  poultry  netting  is  consid- 
erable. Where  the  netting  joins  it  can  be  permanently 
fastened  together  by  twisting  it  with  a  light  nail. 

The  third  division  of  the  yard,  about  50x50  feet,  is 
fenced  with  2-inch  mesh  netting.  Octagonal  netting  is 
preferable  to  the  square  kind  that  has  graduated  open- 
ings, for  fencing  growing  chicks.  The  little  chaps  easily 
learn  the  trick  of  climbing  up  the  square  meshes  until 
they  reach  an  opening  large  enough  to  let  them  through. 

Our  brooder  yards  are  larger  than  common  and  it  has 
been  suggested  that  this  is  a  waste  of  land.  We  think  it 
a  most  beneficial  practice  to  have  a  succession  of  yards 
in  growing  green  stuff  into  which  the  chicks  can  be  turned 
as  they  develop.  In  addition,  we  use  the  brooder  yards 
for  growing  green  stuff  (barley)  for  use  during  the  fall 
and  winter  months  when  alfalfa  is  not  available.  If  we 
had  no  such  space  available  we  should  have  to  allow 
more  space  elsewhere;  and  under  this  plan  we  have  the 
benefit  of  the  fertilizer  already  in  place. 

The   Cockerel   House 

The  cockerel  house  is  9x50  feet,  shed  roof,  5  feet  high 
in  back  and  7  feet  in  front.  The  upper  30  inches  of  the 
front  is  open,  covered  with  1^-inch  wire  netting,  pro- 
tected with  a  canvas  awning.  The  awning  is  made  in 
10-foot  sections,  1x2  stuff  being  used  for  the  frame.  The 
canvas  is  fastened  to  the  frame  with  broad-headed  roofing 
nails.  The  awning  is  fastened  to  the  plate  with  three 
5-inch  strap  hinges;  the  end  of  the  hinge  projecting  be- 
yond the  plate  is  bent  back  against  the  plate  on  the  in- 
side, which  makes  it  more  rigid.  Two  quartering  braces 


WITH  4200  HENS  49 


are  used  on  the  lower  end  of  the  frame,  made  of 
inch  redwood.  This  awning  can  be  used  to  close  the 
house  fairly  tight  when  the  cockerels  are  first  taken  out 
of  the  brooder  houses  ;  later  it  is  kept  half  open  by  prop- 
ping it. 

The  house  is  divided  into  five  compartments,  each 
9x10  feet.  A  slide  door,  12x18  inches,  opens  from  each 
compartment  into  the  yards;  and  3x6-foot  doors,  hinged 
toward  the  back  wall,  afford  passage  into  the  house  and 
from  one  compartment  to  another.  We  find  this  arrange- 
ment preferable  to  having  large  doors  opening  directly 
into  each  yard  from  the  several  compartments.  The  out- 
side door  is  outside  the  yard  —  this  avoids  opening  a  gate 
for  entrance  to  the  house.  The  roosts  are  of  Ix2-inch 
stuff  set  8  inches  apart,  12  inches  above  the  floor.  These 
roosts  are  not  hinged.  They  are  nailed  to  3  cross  pieces 
under  which  blocks  of  2x3-inch  stuff  are  spiked.  In  clean- 
ing the  house  the  roosts  are  tilted  back  against  the  wall. 

The  yards  are  each  10x16  feet  with  a  gate  in  the  end 
of  each  section.  A  10-inch  base  board  is  used,  above 
which  is  an  18-inch  strip  of  1^-inch  wire  netting  and 
above  this  is  a  6-foot  strip  of  2-inch  netting.  Beyond  the 
sectional  yards  is  a  larger  yard,  about  50x50  feet,  for  use 
when  cockerels  for  breeding  purposes  are  matured  in  the 
cockerel  house.  On  this  yard  6-foot  netting  of  2-inch 
mesh  is  used.  Running  water  is  had  in  each  sectional 
yard,  a  4-inch  crock  being  used. 

The  frame  of.  the  house  rests  on  a  concrete  wall  6 
inches  high.  The  floor  is  of  tongue  and  groove  stuff, 
driven  up  tight  and  topnailed.  The  flooring  runs  cross- 
wise of  the  house,  making  it  easier  to  clean. 


WITH  4200  HENS  51 

Laying  Houses 

The  laying  houses  are  an  adaptation  of  the  Corning 
house,  16x150  feet,  shed  roof,  6  feet  high  in  back,  8  feet 
5  inches  in  front.  A  concrete  wall  is  used  on  the  back 
and  on  both  ends,  but  not  in  front.  The  height  of  it  is 
governed  by  the  slope  of  the  land  as  suggested  in  the 
chapter  devoted  to  "Planning  the  Plant."  The  floor  is  of 
3-inch  concrete,  medium  rough  finish,  with  a  slope  of  2 
inches  toward  the  front.  The  reason  for  this  slope  and 
also  for  the  absence  of  a  wall  in  front  is  that  the  house 
can  be  washed  out  with  a  hose  when  it  is  desired  to 
cleanse  it  thoroughly'.  The  front  sill  is  raised  1  inch 
above  the  concrete  floor  by  inserting  blocks  under  the 
sill  where  the  studs  strike.  One-half  by  8-inch  bolts  are 
set  in  the  concrete  both  in  the  back  wall  and  in  the  front 
edge  of  the  floor  where  the  sill  will  rest.  This  fastens 
the  structure  firmly  in  place.  We  use  2x3-inch  stuff  for 
the  sills,  girth,  plates,  studs,  and  drop-board  joist,  and 
2x6  inches  for  the  rafters  which  are  18  feet  long  with  a 
6-inch  eave  in  front  and  12-inch  in  back.  The  wall 
sheathing  may  be  tongue  and  groove  stuff  or  board  and 
batten,  whichever  is  the  cheapest.  But  sound  lumber 
should  be  used  to  avoid  cracks.  The  girth  (for  the  back 
wall)  is  set  30  inches  above  the  concrete  floor,  regardless 
of  where  the  sill  strikes.  This  is  done  so  that  it  may  be 
used  for  the  rear  joist  of  the  drop  board. 

A  ventilator  is  set  in  the  center  of  each  16  and  18-foot 
compartment,  in  the  back  wall,  under  the  dropboards. 
They  are  10x24  inches,  covered  with  2-inch  netting,  and 
should  have  a  slide  or  hinged  door.  These  ventilators 
are  opened  when  the  first  hot  weather  comes  on  and  re- 


52  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

main  open  until  late  in  the  fall.  Should  a  cool  spell  set 
in  in  the  meantime  they  are  closed  temporarily. 

The  dropboard  is  7  feet  wide,  of  tongue  and  groove 
stuff,  driven  up  tight  and  nailed  side  and  top.  Two  joists 
are  used  in  addition  to  the  rear  girth.  The  front  joist  is 
set  back  3  inches  so  that  a  wheelbarrow  can  be  run  under 
the  dropboard  at  cleaning  time.  The  top  of  the  joists  are 
kept  at  30  inches  above  the  floor  level,  giving  the  drop- 
board  the  same  slope  as  the  floor.  The  dropboard  is  put 
on  crosswise  of  the  building,  in  7-foot  lengths,  for  ease 
in  cleaning.  A  moulding,  made  of  Ixl-inch  stuff  cut 
diagonal,  is  nailed  in  the  corner  where  the  dropboard  and 
the  rear  wall  meet;  this  prevents  accumulation  of  drop- 
pings in  the  corner. 

Six  roosts  are  used,  running  lengthwise  of  the  building. 
They  are  made  of  2x2-inch  stuff,  toe-nailed  on  two  sides 
to  2x3-6  crossbars,  all  of  it  dressed  on  four  sides  with 
the  upper  edge  of  the  roosts  proper  rounded  at  the  mill. 
The  first  roost  is  set  8  inches  from  the  rear  wall,  the  bal- 
ance at  13  and  12-inch  intervals.  Four  crossbars  are  used 
in  each  section  and  the  roosts  are  made  in  8  and  9-foot 
lengths,  according  to  the  length  of  the  section.  The 
roosts  are  hinged  to  the  rear  wall  with  6-inch  strap 
hinges ;  the  top  is  8  inches  above  the  dropboard.  A  block 
2x3  inches,  set  under  each  crossbar  12  inches  from  the 
forward  end,  forms  the  front  support. 

The  house  is  divided  into  three  compartments  of  50 
feet  each.  A  description  of  one  compartment  will  serve 
for  the  entire  house :  Each  compartment  is  divided  into 
three  sections,  two  of  16  feet  and  one  of  18  feet.  The 
compartment  partitions  extend  across  the  whole  house ; 


WITH  4200  HENS  53 

the  section  partitions  are  9  feet  wide,  extending  2  feet 
beyond  the  width  of  the  dropboards.  All  partitions  are 
made  of  tongue  and  groove  stuff,  nailed  both  side  and 
top.  The  sills  are  of  2x3-16,  extending  from  the  rear 
wall  to  the  front  sill.  The  rafters  are  used  for  plates.  A 
2x3-inch  girth  is  set  at  center  between  the  rafter  and  sill, 
sloping  with  the  rafter. 

The  compartment  doors  as  well  as  the  outside  doors, 
one  in  each  end  of  the  building,  are  42x72  inches. 
The  compartment  doors  are  hinged  toward  the  front — 
they  swing  toward  the  nests.  This  is  to  avoid  hens  fly- 
ing from  the  nests  through  the  door  when  it  is  opened 
suddenly.  The  compartment  doors  are  6  inches  short  of 
the  floor  and  a  6-inch  board,  set  in  grooves,  fills  the  space. 
This  obviates  the  doors  being  blocked  by  litter ;  the  pur- 
pose of  setting  the  board  in  grooves  is  to  enable  its  being 
removed  when  the  wheelbarrow  or  cart  is  taken  through 
at  cleaning  time. 

All  doors  and  gates  on  the  place  are  equipped  with 
Conrad  Gate  Latches,  one  of  the  greatest  conveniences 
we  have  on  the  place. 

The  front  of  the  house  involves  a  tedious  description 
and  if  that  description  is  given  in  crude  terms  it  is  be- 
cause it  is  intended  for  non-technical  understanding. 

We  already  have  the  2x3  sill  resting  on  1-inch  blocks, 
bolted  to  the  concrete.  The  studs  are  8  feet  long.  They 
are  set  at  intervals  of  4,  8,  12,  16,  20,  22,  26,  28,  32,  36, 
40,  44,  48  and  50  feet.  The  purpose  of  the  odd  setting 
is  to  make  place  for  the  irame  ot  the  water  shed  which 
will  be  described  later  and  of  the  partition'  already  de- 
scribed. The  2x3-inch  plate  gives  us  the  total  height  of 


WITH  4200  HENS  55 

8  feet  5  inches.  A  Ix6-inch  board  is  nailed  on  the  out- 
side of  the  studs,  flush  with  the  bottom  of  the  sill.  This 
leaves  the  1-inch  opening  below  the  sill  clear.  A  lath  is 
tacked  on  the  inside  of  the  sill  to  cover  this  opening. 
The  1x6  is  notched  at  each  stud  deep  enough  and  wide 
enough  to  insert  a  piece  of  1x3  crosswise  of  the  stud,  set 
on  edge.  This  crosspiece  is  29  inches  long.  It  extends 
6  inches  inside  the  house  (3  inches  past  the  stud),  and  is 
nailed  flat  against  the  stud.  It  must  be  set  level.  The 
trough  rests  on  these  crossbars,  on  the  outside  of  the 
house.  A  piece  of  1x8  follows,  for  the  trough  step.  This 
is  laid  flat  along  the  projecting  end  of  the  crossbars, 
inside  the  house,  and  is  notched  to  pass  the  studs,  the 
notches  being  made  deep  enough  so  that  the  board  will 
extend  2  inches  beyond  the  studs,  outside  the  house.  It 
is  nailed  to  the  crossbars  and  also  into  the  top  of  the  1x6 
below  it.  The  reason  for  extending  it  outside  the  house  is 
to  avoid  dirt  and  refuse,  which  lodges  on  the  trough 
cover,  falling  into  the  trough  when  the  cover  is  tilted. 
A  15-inch  opening  is  left  above  the  1x8  trough  step  for 
the  trough.  Two  pieces  of  1x6,  or  one  1x12,  is  next  nailed 
to  the  studs.  Above  these  an  opening  of  3  inches  is  left. 
This  is  to  allow  free  play  for  the  trough  cover.  Above 
this  opening  a  weather  strip  is  used.  This  is  made  of  a 
2x6,  preferably  pine,  bevelled  on  both  edges  to  a  depth 
of  2  inches,  leaving  it  4  inches  wide  on  each  side.  The 
upper  bevel  turns  the  rain  and  the  lower  allows  the 
trough  cover  to  slip  under  it,  making  the  cover  rain  proof. 
The  reason  for  using  pine  for  this  strip  is  to  make  a  secure 
fastening  for  tne  hinges  oi  the  cover — screws  will  not 
hold  tor  any  length  oi  time  in  redwood,  especially  if  the 


56  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

hinge  is  in  constant  use.  Above  the  weather  strip  either 
siding  or  tongue  and  groove  stuff  may  be  used.  If  siding 
is  used  it  will  be  necessary  to  add  a  short  false  stud  be- 
tween each  stud;  if  tongue  and  groove  stuff,  a  top  and 
bottom  girth  must  be  run  from  stud  to  stud.  We  have 
both  in  use.  We  use  1x3  for  the  girths,  and  also  for  the 
false  studs.  The  upper  30  inches  is  left  open  and  is  cov- 
ered with  2-inch  mesh  netting.  An  awning  is  used  over 
this  opening,  the  details  of  which  may  be  found  in  the 
description  of  the  cockerel  house.  The  awning  is  held 
open  at  all  times,  excepting  when  young  pullets  are  first 
put  in  the  laying  house,  by  means  of  a  wire  nailed  to  the 
end  of  the  rafter,  wrapped  'round  a  nail  driven  into  the 
lower  edge  of  the  awning  frame,  and  pulled  tight  to  a 
nail  driven  into  a  stud  above  the  trough  cover.  Three 
wires  are  used  on  each  awning.  This  holds  it  absolutely 
rigid. 

The  rafters,  of  2x6-18,  are  set  at  4-foot  intervals  with 
an  extra  one  over  the  50-foot  stud,  and  are  notched  front 
and  back.  The  cantboard  is  of  1x6 — preferably  of  red- 
wood. To  make  the  joint  absolutely  tight  we  put  in  the 
cantboards  when  the  rafters  are  set.  The  first  rafter  is 
nailed  in  place.  The  cantboard  is  cut  to  proper  length 
and  is  set  on  top  of  the  plate,  flush  with  the  inside  of  it. 
(This  avoids  a  dust-box  on  top  the  plate.)  The  next 
rafter  is  set  against  it  and  spike-toe-nailed  into  the  plate, 
against  the  cantboard.  When  a  section  is  completed  the 
projection  of  the  cantboard  is  planed  smooth  with  the 
rafters  and  the  roof  sheathing  is  nailed  to  it. 

The  roof  sheathing  is  of  1x6;  we  prefer  12  and  16-foot 
lengths,  to  which  there  is  no  waste  if  the  rafters  are  set 


WITH  4200  HENS  57 

as  directed.  Two  or  3-ply  composition  roofing  is  used 
with  a  layer  of  tarred  felt  under  the  roofing  to  protect  it 
against  the  spraying  materials.  Both  the  felt  and  the 
roofing  is  run  lengthwise  of  the  building.  A  1x6  cornice 
board  is  run  along  the  front  edge  of  the  rafters. 

Water  Shed 

The  water  shed  is  5x8  feet,  extending  outward  from 
the  main  building  between  studs  at  20-28  feet.  The  floor 
is  of  concrete  and  two  bolts  are  set  in  the  outer  edge  of 
the  concrete  18  inches  from  each  outer  end  to  make  the 
front  rigid ;  2x3  sills  are  used,  1x3  girths,  and  three  2x3-6 
rafters,  the  rafters  being  used  for  the  side  plates.  A  piece 
of  1x3-8  is  nailed  crosswise  of  studs  20-28  to  support  the 
upper  end  of  the  rafters.  Four  studs,  2x3-6  are  used  in 
front,  set  at  0,  2,  6  and  8  feet,  capped  with  a  2x3-8  plate 
on  which  the  lower  end  of  the  rafters  rests.  Two  doors 
are  swung  between  studs  2-6,  opening  outward,  an  old 
fashioned  bar  and  socket  barn  door  fastener  being  used  on 
the  outside  to  hold  the  doors  closed.  The  entire  front 
of  the  water  shed,  doors  and  all,  is  but  5  feet  high,  leav- 
ing an  opening  of  12  inches,  to  admit  light  and  air,  which 
is  covered  with  2-inch  mesh  netting.  To  catch  the  wire, 
the  outer  boards  on  each  of  the  doors  is  left  6  feet 
long.  Two  sliding  doors,  18x24  inches  are  used  in  the 
sides  of  the  shed  close  to  the  front  edge.  The  purpose  of 
these  smaller  openings  is  to  allow  the  front  doors  to  be 
kept  closed  during  hot  weather,  shading  the  water  pots. 
The  sheathing  may  be  either  of  siding  or  of  tongue  and 
groove  stuff.  ^ ' 

No  door  is  used  between  the  water  shed  and  the  main 
building,  but  a  piece  of  1x8  is  nailed  flat  against  the  studs, 


58  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

flush  with  the  studs  at  the  bottom,  to  keep  the  litter  out 
of  the  water  shed.  Two  water  pots  are  used  in  each  water 
shed,  placed  near  the  front  edge.  The  supply  pipe  runs 
along  the  front  of  the  house  and  a  connection  is  run  into 
the  water  shed,  dividing  at  the  door  and  one  branch  run- 
ning to  each  side  of  the  shed.  We  use  the  "Float  Boy" 
water  valves,  which  are  self-acting. 

Mash  Troughs 

The  mash  troughs  extend  from  each  end  of  the  build- 
ing to  the  water  shed  and  are  made  in  four  sections,  two 
of  10  feet  each  on  one  side  of  the  water  shed  and  one  ol 
10  and  one  of  12  feet  on  the  other.  A  12-inch  board  is 
used  for  the  bottom.  A  piece  of  j^x7  is  nailed  on  each 
side,  giving  a  depth  of  6  inches  inside  the  trough.  The 
opening  is  3^4  inches.  Above  this  a  strip  of  ^x3  is 
used.  The  crossbars,  one  at  each  end  and  one  in  the 
center,  are  made  of  1-inch  stuff,  2  feet  long,  sloping 
from  the  upper  edge  of  the  top  bar  to  the  top.  The  end 
cross  bars  should  be  nailed  to  the  side  of  the  base  board — 
not  on  top  of  it.  This  makes  it  rain  proof. 

This  trough  is  13  inches  wide  if  the  specifications  are 
followed.  It  is  set  on  the  1x3  cross  bars  and  when  it  is 
in  place  a  1x8  board  is  set  close  against  it,  nailed  to  the 
cross  bars,  and  forms  the  outside  step.  The  cover  is  made 
of  j/2-inch  stuff,  24  inches  wide,  nailed  to  five  cleats  of 
1x3-2.  The  upper  end  of  the  cleats  are  bevelled  to  allow 
the  cover  to  ht  snugly  against  the  studs.' {i  One-ply  com- 
position roofing  is  used  over  the  cover,  fastened  to  place 
with  laths  nailed  down  into  each  cleat.  Three  6-inch 
strap  hinges  are  used  on  each  section  bt  cover,  fastened 
with  iy2-mch  screws.  The  hinges  are  set  1  inch  from 


WITH  4200  HENS  59 

the  upper  edge  of  the  cover,  to  allow  the  cover  to  slide 
into  place  under  the  weather  strip.  If  the  weather  strip 
has  been  correctly  set  the  cover  will  rest  on  the  slope  of 
the  trough  sides  and  will  open  and  close  readily.  To  hold 
the  cover  open  while  rilling  the  trough  a  wire  is  nailed  to 
the  stud  nearest  a  cover  cleat,  with  a  loop  on  the  end  of  it 
A  nail  is  driven  into  the  side  of  the  cleat  (inside  the  cover) 
and  the  wire  loop  is  slipped  over  it.  (See  page  120.) 

Before  the  troughs  are  set  in  place  the  nest  brackets 
are  put  on.  These  brackets  hold  the  trough  cross  bars 
rigid.  One  is  used  at  each  stud.'  They  are  made  of  1x6 
redwood.  The  horizontal  bar  is  17  inches  long  and  the 
top  of  it  is  30  inches  above  the  concrete  floor.  It  must  be 
set  level.  The  support  extends  from  the  outer  upper  edge 
of  the  horizontal  bar  slanting  downward  to  the  stud  and 
is  cut  to  rest  over  the  inside  trough  step.  When  this 
bracket  is  in  place  properly  set  and  securely  nailed  you 
can  stand  on  the  trough  and  it  will  not  sag. 

Nests 

The  nests  are  made  in  4  sections,  three  of  12  feet  and 
one  of  10,  extending  along  the  entire  front  of  the  house 
(inside)  excepting  ior  the  4-foot  entry  into  the  water 
shed.  They  rest  on  the  brackets  just  described  and  their 
weight  holds  them  in  place.  The  bottom  board  is  oi 
1x12  stutt,  the  back  of  j/2x!2  and  the  top  consists  of  one 
piece  of  j^x6  and  another  of  ^x8;  this  allows  a  slight 
overhang  in  iront.  The  front  is  of  1x6,  nailed  rlush  with 
the  bottom  of  the  1x12  board,  making  the  depth  inside 
(m  iront)  b  inches.  The  bacK  piece  is  nailed  in  the  center 
ot  the  bottom  board  which  leaves  a  slight  opening  at  the 
top.  This  makes  the  nest  cooler  than  it  would  be  if 


60  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

closed  solid.  The  partition  pieces  are  of  1x12  cut  into 
lengths  just  a  trifle  short  of  one  foot  each.  They  are  set 
at  intervals  to  make  one  compartment  to  each  running 
foot. 

The  running  board  or  step,  which  is  used  also  to 
close  the  nests  at  night,  is  made  of  1x3  stuff,  the  length 
of  the  section.  About  18  inches  from  each  end  a  6-inch 
piece  of  1x3  is  nailed  to  the  running  board  on  what  will 
be  the  outside  of  it  when  the  nest  is  closed.  To  put  it 
another  way,  put  the  cleats  on  the  ground  with  the  run- 
ning board  on  top  of  them;  the  hinges  can  then  be  put 
on  in  their  proper  position.  A  3-inch  strap  hinge  should 
be  used.  Fasten  the  hinge  to  the  cleat,  "upside  down"; 
instead  of  having  the  screws  run  down  into  the  slot, 
which  brings  the  screwheads  flush  with  the  surface  of 
the  hinge  lay  the  hinge  face  downward,  which  leaves 
the  screwheads  exposed.  The  completed  nest  ready  for 
the  running  board  is  most  conveniently  set  on  the  ground 
with  the  front,  the  6-inch  board,  on  top.  Place  the  run- 
ning board  on  it.  It  is  flush  with  the  6-inch  front  board. 
The  hinge  cleats  will  fit  flat  against  the  6-inch  board, 
and  the  lower  section  of  the  hinge  will  also  lie  flat,  with 
the  screw-grooves  up.  A  2-inch  space  is  left  between  the 
6-inch  front  board  and  the  3-inch  running  board;  this 
leaves  the  cleats  extending  downward  1  inch  from  the 
top  of  the  6-inch  front  board.  This  is  the  closed  position. 
A  notched  latchet,  made  of  wood,  is  fastened  to  the  cen- 
ter partition  board,  patterned  so  that  it  will  raise  and 
lower  readily.  The  notch  should  be  deep  enough  so  that 
the  step  is  not  likely  to  be  jarred  loose  when  hens  fly 
against  it. 


WITH  4200  HENS  61 

• 
The  final  part  is  three  supports  to  hold  the  running 

board  in  the  open  position.  These  should  be  six  inches 
long,  one  near  each  end  and  one  in  the  center.  To 
get  their  proper  position  hold  the  running  board  squarely 
at  right  angles  to  the  nestbox  (the  hinges  must  first  be 
fastened  to  the  6-inch  front  board)  and  toe-nail  the  three 
supports  in  place  so  that  the  running  board  drops  on 
them  evenly.  This  is  the  best  combination  running  board 
and  nest-closing  arrangement  the  writer  has  ever  seen. 
It  is  the  idea,  one  among  many  in  use  on  our  places,  ot 
the  writer's  father-in-law,  Mr.  W.  C.  Freeman. 

Above  the  nest  is  a  protector,  designed  to  prevent  the 
hens  roosting  over  the  nests.  This  is  made  of  3  pieces 
of  ^x6  stuff,  nailed  to  S  cleats,  of  proper  length  to  cover 
each  section  of  nest  boxes.  The  lower  edge  of  it  rests 
on  the  slight  projection  of  the  top  of  the  nest  and  the 
upper  edge  lies  against  the  studs.  It  is  nailed  to  the  studs 
but  not  necessarily  at  the  bottom.  The  nest  boxes  can 
be  lifted  out  at  cleaning  time  if  desired.  An  open  space 
is  left  between  the  studs  which  provides  a  meager  foot- 
ing for  the  more  ambitious  young  pullets,  but  we  seldom 
if  ever  find  one  staying  there  all  night;  the  position  is 
too  uncomfortable. 

Broody  Coop 

A  broody  coop  is  put  in  each  compartment,  under  the 
dropboard,  and  covers  one-half  the  center  section.  The 
bottom  support  or  sill  is  made  of  one  1x6-7  and  one 
1x6-8,  standing  on  edge  and  nailed  together  at  right 
angles. 

The  outer  edge  of  the  front  drop  board  joist  serves  for 
the  front  plate  and  a  strip  of  1x3-7  is  nailed  to  the  joist 


62  HOW  I  MADE  $10.000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

legs,  flush  with  the  1x6  at  the  bottom.  The  space  between 
should  be  covered  with  lath,  set  2>^  inches  apart.  We 
used  2-inch  mesh  netting  but  the  hens  eventually  break 
through.  A  little  door  is  put  in  the  front  section.  The 
coop  is  placed  in  the  center  section  to  have  it  close  to  the 
water  supply.  We  use  two  gallon  galvanized  cans  (spe- 
cially built)  with  a  pan  soldered  on  the  front  edge,  oper- 
ating on  the  cup  and  saucer  fountain  principle,  and  with 
a  screwcap  filler  opening  on  the  bottom.  It  is  provided 
with  a  swinging  handle  on  top,  by  means  of  which  it  can 
be  hung  at  a  proper  height  from  a  nail  in  the  wall.  We 
use  two  roosts  in  the  broody  coops. 

Yards 

The  yards  run  the  length  of  the  house  (150  feet),  and 
are  100  feet  deep.  A  partition  fence  is  run  through  at 
50-foot  intervals,  conforming  to  the  inside  sections  of 
the  house.  The  fences  are  fastened  to  the  southeast 
and  southwest  corners  of  the  house,  leaving  the  out- 
side doors  of  the  houses  clear.  The  fences  are  built  of 
3x4-10  redwood  posts,  1x10  redwood  for  baseboards,  and 
2-inch  poultry  netting  6  feet  high.  The  posts  are  given 
two  coats  of  half  creosote  and  half  crude  oil  to  a  depth 
of  36  inches  and  are  set  30  inches  in  the  ground.  The 
sideline  posts  are  set,  the  first  one  8^  feet  from  the  house 
with  another  at  12  feet,  forming  the  gateway;  the  next 
at  20  feet,  and  thereafter  at  16-foot  intervals.  The  ends 
are  set  in  two  intervals  of  16  feet  and  one  of  18,  excepting 
for  the  upper  yards  in  which  a  3^-foot  gateway  setting 
is  made  in  the  18-foot  section.  These  post  intervals  are 
most  economical  of  baseboard  material  and  have  been 


WITH  4200  HENS  63 

found  satisfactory.  Braces  of  2x3-7  redwood  are  used, 
which  should  have  the  steepest  possible  pitch  to  obviate 
birds  climbing-  them.  No  top  boards  are  used. 

The  gates  are  built  with  the  upper  crossbar  18  inches 
below  the  top  of  the  wire.  All  gates  swing  inward,  the 
upper  ones  (nearest  the  house)  toward  the  house  rather 
than  away  from  it. 

Hospital,  Observation  and  Cull  Houses 

We  have  several  small  houses,  with  appropriate  yards, 
used  for  hospital,  observation,  and  culling  purposes.  All 
of  these  are  made  up  of  odd  buildings  accumulated  dur- 
ing our  earlier  experience  on  a  leased  place.  Such  spare 
quarters  are  not  only  a  great  convenience  but  an  absolute 
necessity  on  a  plant  of  any  size.  The  construction  of 
the  buildings  and  their  size  is  of  no  importance.  We 
make  a  special  point,  however,  of  providing  not  only 
tight,  comfortable  sleeping  quarters  in  all  such  places  but 
in  addition  ample  shade  and  shelter  and  water  faucets 
are  provided  in  each. 

In  the  hospital  section  at  least  two  divisions  should  be 
available,  a  small  one  in  which  sick  birds  are  first  isolated 
and  a  larger  one  for  what  we  call  the  convalescents.  The 
isolation  yard  on  our  place  is  surrounded  with  a  solid 
board  fence  about  3  feet  high,  with  5  feet  of  netting  above 
it.  The  house  is  but  4  feet  deep  and  has  a  dropboard  2 
feet  above  the  floor;  but  roosting  quarters  are  provided 
on  the  floor  as  well  as  on  the  dropboard.  Fresh  straw 
is  put  into  these  quarters  after  each  cleaning  and  the 
houses  are  always  sprayed  when  cleaned. 


64  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

The  Feed  House 

The  details  of  the  feed  house  are  hardly  of  importance. 
This  may  be  built  according  to  taste  and  purse.  Our 
building  is  16x40  feet,  of  which  16x20  is  used  for  feed 
storage.  The  floor  is  of  concrete.  Our  close  proximity 
to  source  of  supply  makes  it  unnecessary  to  carry  any 
great  quantity  in  storage.  Where  this  is  not  the  case  it 
will  be  necessary  to  have  greater  storage  space.  It  might 
be  mentioned,  in  this  connection,  that  we  do  not  specu- 
late in  grains  and  feedstuffs ;  we  buy  as  we  need. 

The  Egg  Room 

The  egg  room,  just  completed,  may  be  of  interest.  It 
is  16x17  feet  and  rests  on  a  5-inch  wall  of  concrete.  The 
building  runs  north  and  south.  On  the  northerly  end  an 
excavation  was  made  for  a  shallow  cellar  the  width  of 
the  building,  36  inches  wide  and  30  inches  deep.  The  con- 
crete foundation  which  extends  all  around  the  building 
runs  to  the  bottom  of  the  excavation.  The  floor  joists  of 
2x4,  properly  supported,  run  crosswise.  An  interval  of 

3  feet  is  allowed  over  the  cellar.    The  balance  of  the  room 
is  floored  with  tongue  and  groove  flooring.     The  cellar 
covering  is  made  of  flooring  in  3-foot  lengths  made  into 

4  trap  doors  which  can  be  lifted  against  the  north  wall 
and  held  in  place  by  looped  wire  catches.     Filled  cases 
are  set  on  the  edge  of  the  cellar  way  and  can  be  easily 
and  conveniently  lifted  down  or  up.     This  arrangement 
obviates  the  drudgery  and  labor  of  dragging  the  eggs  up 
and  down  cellar  steps.    Anyone  who  has  been  through  it, 
especially  during  wet  weather,   will   readily  understand 
why  we  fought  shy  of  the  old  scheme. 


WITH  4200  HENS  65 

The  cellar  is  used  exclusively  for  hatching  eggs.  We 
can  store  30  cases  in  it  without  crowding.  Two  venti- 
lators are  set  in  the  foundation,  one  in  the  south  end,  the 
other  in  the  west  side  5  feet  south  of  the  cellar.  They 
are  covered  with  1-inch  mesh  netting. 

The  building  is  set  on  sloping  ground.  The  main 
entry  is  a  3-foot  door  on  the  west  side,  just  south  of  the 
cellar.  One  step  leads  up  to  the  floor.  On  the  south 
side  the  floor  is  2  feet  above  the  driveway.  A  3-foot  door 
was  put  in  the  southwest  corner.  The  delivery  truck 
can  back  to  this  doorway  and  the  eggs  can  be  loaded 
onto  the  truckbed  with  but  little  lifting. 

Cost  of  Buildings 

It  would  serve  no  purpose,  under  present  prevailing 
conditions,  to  record  the  cost  of  our  buildings.  Prices  of 
materials  have  advanced  to  such  an  extent  that  no  com- 
parison can  be  made.  The  last  of  our  laying  houses  was 
built  in  the  fall  of  1917.  The  150-foot  houSe  and  fences* 
complete  cost  $620  (in  round  figures)  for  materials  alone; 
the  labor  cost  cannot  be  given  for  any  of  the  buildings 
because  the  writer  did  a  very  large  share  of  it  himself. 

Our  total  investment  in  buildings  and  accessories,  in- 
cluding water  lines,  fences,  etc.,  is  $3,500  in  round  figures. 
This  is  entirely  exclusive  of  labor;  it  covers  materials 
alone.  The  amount  paid  out  for  labor  in  construction  of 
the  plant  would  not  exceed  the  labor  cost  in  building  one 
of  the  large  laying  houses. 

An  idea  of  the  size  of  the  plant  may  be  obtained  from 
the  fact  that  we  have  more  than  10,000  square  feet  of 
concrete  floors  and  about  13,000  square  feet  of  composi- 
tion roofing  on  the  place. 


PART  FOUR 

A  detailed  description  of  the  methods  followed  on  The 
Tumbach  Egg  Farm. 

And  this  is 
Ho\v  I  Made  $10,000  in  One  Tear  -with  4200  Hens" 

Hatching 

All  of  our  hatching  is  done  at  a  commercial  hatchery, 
the  eggs  being  supplied  by  us  from  our  own  stock.  This 
course  was  adopted  after  several  years  of  experience  m 
doing  our  own  hatching.  Much  may  be  said  in  favor  of 
either  system  but  the  arguments  would  leave  us  where 
we  started ;  that  is,  that  we  leave  the  hatching  to  the  man 
who  makes  hatching  his  business.  When  brooding  time 
comes,  bringing  with  it  thousands  of  chicks,  we  have 
nothing  on  our  minds  but  the  care  of  those  chicks. 

The  eggs  are  marked  with  a  rubber-stamp  to  avoid  any 
possible  confusion.  It  then  becomes  a  matter  simply  of 
the  honesty  of  the  hatcher  as  to  whether  or  not  we  get 
the  chicks  from  our  own  eggs. 

We  pay  the  hatcher  so  much  per  thousand  eggs,  re- 
gardless of  the  number  of  chicks  hatched. 

We  usually  provide  6  cases  (2160  eggs)  for  each  hatch 
and  we  count  on  about  1500  chicks  from  this  number. 
In  a  year  of  poor  hatches  we  are  likely  to  fall  short  and 
in  good  years  we  run  over  that  number.  The  long  haul 
in  a  truck — our  eggs  are  carried  25  miles — reduces  the 
hatchability  of  the  eggs  of  course ;  this  has  been  taken 
into  consideration.  The  hatcher  calls  for  the  eggs  at  our 
place  and  delivers  the  chicks.  In  both  respects  he  is 
better  equipped  and  more  experienced  as  to  the  safest 
method  of  carrying  than  we  are  or  could  be. 


WITH  4200  HENS  67 

Carrying  Baby  Chicks 

To  those  who  carry  their  own  chicks  a  word  of  advice 
might  be  in  order:  The  chicks  must  have  air  and  warmth. 
If  you  are  stacking  up  a  lot  of  the  familiar  100-chick 
carrying  boxes  in  a  motor  car  be  sure  the  boxes  are  criss- 
crossed in  such  a  way  that  each  box  will  have  air.  The 
boxes  should  set  level,  otherwise  the  chicks  will  be 
jammed  to  the  lower  section  of  the  box.  If  necessary 
place  strips  of  wood  between  the  boxes.  As  to  warmth, 
the  chicks  will  supply  all  they  need  for  the  trip,  but  this 
will  not  protect  them  against  the  draft  made  by  the 
moving  car.  Excepting  in  hot  weather  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  put  a  blanket  over  the  load  to  keep  off  the  draft, 
and  even  in  hot  weather  a  curtain  of  some  kind  should 
be  hung  in  such  a  way  as  to  stop  the  draft.  It  should 
be  kept  in  mind  that  newly  hatched  chicks  differ  in  no 
essential  respect  from  a  very  young  baby  so  far  as  sus- 
ceptibility to  draft  is  concerned,  and  the  writer's  observa- 
tion is  that  a  careful  mother  who  carries  the  baby  in  a 
motor  car  quite  generally  has  it  completely  covered. 

Should  you  meet  with  an  accident  on  the  road  or  if  it 
is  necessary  to  stop  for  as  long  as  10  minutes  you  should 
remove  the  blanketing — the  draft  stops  with  the  car.  We 
heard  of  an  instance  where  a  poultryman  carrying  a  load 
of  one  thousand  or  twelve  hundred  chicks  was  delayed 
half  an  hour.  He  forgot  to  remove  his  blankets ;  and  he 
smothered  more  than  half  of  the  chicks.  On  the  other 
hand  we  have  known  of  many  cases  where  chicks  were 
chilled  by  the  draft  and  a  heavy  mortality  was  the  re- 
sult, which  was  of  course  blamed  on  the  hatcher  and  the 
stock  he  hatched  from. 


68  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

We  are  extremely  careful  with  newly  hatched  chicks. 
If  it  becomes  necessary  to  transfer  some  from  one  house 
to  another  we  either  use  one  of  the  cardboard  chick  boxus 
on  which  the  lid  can  be  set  down  tight,  or  else,  if  an  open 
box  is  used,  we  put  a  gunny  sack  or  a  piece  of  flannel 
over  the  chicks  before  going  outdoors.  This  may  seem 
"fussy";  it  must  be  remembered  that  your  care  of  these 
chicks  will  make  or  mar  your  whole  year. 

If  your  chicks  are  shipped  to  you  by  express,  learn  the 
exact  time  when  the  train  is  due  and  be  there  to  meet  it. 
Do  not  chance  a  careless  expressman  setting  them  out- 
doors in  the  rain  or  snow  and  wind ;  or  a  careful  one  put- 
ting them  next  to  the  stove.  Either  course  may  cause 
you  not  only  loss  but  a  lot  of  misery  and  trouble. 

Selecting  Eggs  for  Hatching 

We  use  no  egg  for  hatching  that  weighs  less  than  2 
ounces  and  we  discard  exceptionally  large  eggs  also. 
The  egg  must  be  of  normal  shape,  and  must  have  a  per- 
fect shell.  "Pimples"  of  lime  in  the  shell;  shells  with 
ridges  and  water-marks ;  shells  that  clink  like  glass  on 
being  tapped  with  the  fingernail — all  these  are  discarded , 
likewise,  of  course,  any  that  are  checked — by  which  is 
meant  a  crack  in  the  shell  which  may  or  may  not  be  a 
complete  fracture. 

We  take  no  chances  of  mixing  hatching  eggs  with 
the  general  run — the  buckets  are  marked  with  a  card 
as  they  are  brought  to  the  eggroom,  and  the  eggs  dis- 
carded from  the  hatching  eggs  are  never  packed  for  mar- 
ket directly ;  they  are  put  into  a  bucket  and  are  graded 
and  packed  out  of  the  bucket.  With  our  years  of  experi- 


WITH  4200  HENS  69 

ence  in  packing  we  still  deem  it  unsafe  to  try  making  the 
double  grading  in  one  operation.  Should  the  cases  be- 
come mixed  the  cost  would  be  too  great — especially  if 
the  eggs  are  sold. 

Time  of  Hatching 

Our  first  brood  of  chicks  is  brought  off  the  second  or 
third  week  in  January  and  we  have  either  two  or  three 
lots  in  that  month,  one  week  apart.  These  are  followed 
by  three  lots  in  the  month  of  March,  also  one  week  apart. 
This  arrangement  allows  for  keeping  the  first  hatches  in 
the  brooder  house  a  maximum  of  8  weeks  should  a  streak 
of  bad  weather  be  encountered.  This  leeway  of  time  has 
saved  us  a  great  many  chicks  that  would  otherwise  have 
been  forced  out  of  the  brooder  houses  to  make  way  for 
another  lot  regardless  of  extremely  adverse  weather.  It 
was  to  avoid  being  so  forced  that  we  used  three  brooder 
houses  earlier  in  our  poultry  career  when  we  brooded 
only  three  lots  in  one  season.  Most  poultrymen  would 
agree  with  us,  we  think,  that  the  greatest  single  factor 
in  chick  mortality  is  lack  of  proper  housing  facilities. 
It  has  come  to  be  a  common  thing  to  hear,  "I  lost 
a  lot  of  young  pullets  in  my  early  hatches ;  I  had  to  put 
them  in  colony  houses  to  make  way  for  another  hatch 
coming  off." 

Foreword  on  Brooding 

The  description  of  our  brooding  methods  will  be  em- 
bellished to  an  extent  which  to  those  of  experience  may 
seem  even  absurd.  It  is  the  writer's  purpose  to  give 
herewith  a  definite  line  of  procedure  for  a  novice  to  fol- 
low; as  he  expressed  jgjfo.  an  outline,  "I  would  have  the 
chicks  arrive  and  make  aim  feel  at  home  with  them,  not 


70  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

like  a  hopeless  idiot.  I  would  take  him  along,  day  by  day, 
morning,  noon  and  night,  knowing  just  what  to  do  at 
each  stage  of  the  game."  When  this  novice  has  gradu- 
ated he  can  do  his  own  eliminating  of  non-essential  fea- 
tures and  make  such  changes  as  will  best  fit  his  own 
particular  case  and  habits.  But  at  the  start,  assuming 
that  he  knows  nothing  whatever  about  handling  the 
chicks,  we  purpose  giving  him  something  to  go  on. 


Getting  Ready  for  the  Chicks 


The  chicks  are  delivered  to  us  36  to  48  hours  out  of  the 
incubators  at  which  time  they  are  ready  for  their  first  feed 
and  water. 

About  one  week  before  the  chicks  are  due  the  brooder 
house  is  in  order.  If  it  is  a  new  one  it  has  been 
thoroughly  sprayed ;  if  an  old  one  it  has  been  cleaned, 
washed  out  with  a  hose  and  nozzle,  allowed  to  dry  and 
then  sprayed.  If  clean  sand,  reasonably  free  from  dust 
and  dirt,  is  available,  the  floor  is  covered  with  it  to  a 
depth  of  about  one  inch.  A  light  scattering  of  clean, 
bright  straw,  preferably  wheat  straw,  is  put  over  this ;  if 
barley  straw  must  be  used  it  is  put  through  the  feed  chop- 
per and  cut  into  one  inch  lengths.  If  clean  sand  is  not 
to  be  had  none  is  used  and  the  straw  is  made  about  two 
inches  deep. 

The  stove  is  started  up  and  tested  out  thoroughly,  run- 
ning several  days  if  necessary  to  get  the  proper  adjust- 
ment and  to  be  sure  it  is  working  properly.  The  auto- 
matic alarm  system  is  gone  over  and  put  in  working 
position,  the  thermostat  hanging  by  its  wires  (from  a 
rafter)  12  inches  above  the  floor,  3  feet  from  the  stove 


WITH  4200  HENS  71 

and  facing  it.  A  thermometer,  known  to  be  registering 
accurately,  is  hung  from  the  bottom  of  the  alarm-thermo- 
stat, also  facing  the  stove,  the  bulb  hanging  about  2 
inches  above  the  straw.  The  inlet  air  shaft  is  opened 
about  one  inch  and  the  outlet  shaft  about  three  inches 
on  the  bottom  slide,  the  upper  slide  being  kept  closed. 
The  heat  is  run  up  to  95  degrees.  The  alarm  is  set  to 
ring  the  bell  if  the  heat  drops  to  90  degrees  (this  is 
brought  about  by  shutting  off  the  stove),  or  if  the  heat 
rises  to  100  degrees.  Under  ordinary  weather  conditions 
the  space  between  either  the  hot  or  the  cold  contact  points 
will  be  about  the  thickness  of  a  worn  dime;  but  nothing 
short  of  experimenting  will  determine  the  exact  setting. 

The  house  is  allowed  to  warm  up  gradually  rather  than 
by  forcing  the  stove.  As  already  said,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  extend  the  warming-up  and  testing  out  experi- 
ments over  a  period  of  several  days.  When  the  proper 
adjustments  have  been  reached  the  stove  is  shut  off  until 
the  day  before  the  chicks  are  due  to  arrive.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  that  day  it  is  started  up  again;  and  it  continues 
running  from  that  time  on.  The  burner  is  cleaned  and 
scraped  some  time  during  the  morning  of  the  day  the 
chicks  are  to  arrive  so  that  it  will  not  need  attention  just 
after  the  chicks  are  in  the  room. 

A  ring  of  1-inch  mesh  netting,  12  inches  high,  about 
14  feet  in  diameter,  covered  witn  muslin,  is  set  around 
the  stove.  This  is  to  keep  the  chicks  from  straying.  The 
muslin  is  fastened  to  the  netting  at  the  top  by  stitching 
thread,  and  is  on  tlie  inside  of  the  netting.  It  must  be 
fastened  in  place  with  the  netting  set  in  the  form  of  a 
circle ;  if  the  netting  is  laid  flat  the  muslin  will  bulge  and 


HOW  1  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

the  chicks  will  crawl  under  it  and  bunch  up  between  it 
and  the  netting  and  many  of  them  will  squeeze  through 
the  wire.  The  ring  should  rest  on  the  flooring,  the  straw 
being  banked  against  it. 

Tar  paper  is  cut  into  strips  2x3  feet,  about  8  being 
used  for  1500  chicks.  These  strips  are  put  down  inside 
the  circle.  A  light  scattering  of  chick  grit  is  thrown  over 
them,  likewise  a  light  scattering  of  hulled  oats,  cracked 
wheat  and  fine  cracked  corn  (equal  parts  by  weight). 
About  an  hour  before  the  chicks  are  due  the  little  cup  and 
saucer  chick  fountains  are  filled  with  water  from  which 
the  chill  has  been  taken.  We  use  one  fountain  to  100 
chicks.  These  are  scattered  promiscuously  inside  the 
circle,  some  of  them  very  close  to  the  stove,  others  on 
the  tar  paper.  Tilt  the  "cup"  slightly  for  an  instant  so 
the  water  will  come  up  to  the  very  edge  of  the  "saucer." 

Then  we  are  ready  for  the  little  newcomers. 

And  if  you  purpose  following  our  plan  in  caring  tor 
chicks,  take  this  much  advice:  Work  all  night  if  you 
have  to;  but  have  that  brooder  house  absolutely  ready 
for  your  chicks  at  least  24  hours  before  they  are  due 
to  arrive.  We  have  heard  of  cases  where  the  delivery- 
man  from  the  hatchery  had  to  assist  in  putting  up  the 
brooder  stove  intended  to  warm  the  chicks  he  brought 
in  the  month  of  January.  From  the  writer's  point  of 
view  this  is  little  short  of  criminal ;  true  enough,  he 
views  it  from  a  prejudiced  standpoint,  the  standpoint 
of  one  who  really  loves  the  birds  and  especially  baby 
chicks.  But  almost  any  human  being  wortny  the  name 
would  resent  the  idea  of  chucking  a  lot  o±  helpless  rlurr 
balls,  just  out  of  a  temperature  of  at  least  103  into  a  damp, 


WITH  4200  HENS  73 

cold  house,  and  certainly  no  one  has  the  right  to  expect 
them  to  do  well  in  such  hands. 

Method  of  Brooding 

All  available  help  is  called  into  action  when  a  load  of 
chicks  arrives  and  they  are  unloaded  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. The  first  boxes  are  carried  to  the  farther  side  of 
the  room.  They  are  set  on  the  outside  of  the  wire  circle, 
half  of  them  on  each  end  of  the  house.  They  are  not 
piled  up.  On  a  hot  day  the  lids  are  taken  off  the  boxes 
as  they  are  set  down.  If  the  sun  is  bright  and  strong 
the  curtains  are  dropped  over  the  windows  to  keep  the 
chicks  from  crowding  toward  the  strong  light. 

Set  a  box  close  to  the  circle,  sidewise,  kneel  down  by 
the  side  of  it  and  lift  the  chicks  over  the  wire  in  bunches 
of  five.  Dip  right  into  them  with  both  hands.  Have  a 
pencil  handy,  and  when  you  have  emptied  a  box,  mark  on 
the  lid  of  it  the  number  of  chicks  you  counted  out.  If 
dead  ones  are  found  toss  them  aside  into  one  pile  and 
count  the  dead  when  the  live  ones  are  all  out.  Don't 
drop  the  little  chaps  if  you  can  help  it — some  men  can 
handle  them  in  what  appears  a  rough  manner  without 
hurting  them  but  this  comes  from  long  experience. 

Move  as  rapidly  as  you  can  and  don't  mind  the  chirp- 
ing; you  will  grow  accustomed  to  it.  They  will  "chup" 
quite  a  bit  for  a  day  or  two  until  they  have  settled  down. 
Meantime  you  will  be  surprised  to  see  many  of  them 
drinking  and  eating  before  you  get  the  last  box  emptied. 
The  idea  of  tilting  the  fountain  is  to  bring  the  water  to 
the  very  edge  so  that  when  a  little  bill  is  laid  to  it  the 
moisture  is  found  at  once.  You  want  to  get  them  started 


74  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

in  the  shortest  possible  time  and  you  are  doing  everything 
you  can  to  make  it  easy  for  them. 

If  you  had  things  arranged  as  outlined  you  now  have 
nothing  to  do  but  pile  up  the  boxes  and  remove  them. 
In  doing  this  we  always  look  through  them  carefully  to 
be  sure  no  chicks  are  overlooked.  Next  you  should  tack 

,  a  large  card  on  the  wall  of  the  brooder  house,  near  the 
door,  with  a  lead  pencil  hung  over  it  by  a  string.  On 
this  card  mark  the  date  and  number  of  chicks,  received, 
and  as  losses  occur,  mark  them  down.  If  you  wish  to 
learn  the  periods  of  heaviest  mortality,  mark  off  squares 
on  the  card  and  put  each  day's  losses  in  a  square.  You 
will  find  such  a  record  both  interesting  and  instructive. 
We  make  no  distinction  between  chicks  found  dead  and 
those  that  we  help  out  of  the  way. 

And  then  you  can  sit  down  and  "size  them  up."  The 
chicks  themselves  will  tell  you  in  a  short  time  whether 
or  not  your  temperature  and  ventilation  are  right.  Dif- 

'  ferent  lots  require  different  degrees  of  heat  and  outside 
atmospheric  conditions  will  necessitate  a  variation  in  the 
supply  of  air  admitted.  If  it  happens  to  be  a  very  hot 
day  you  may  have  to  lower  your  heat  and  increase  the 
air  supply  immediately.  In  such  case  the  chicks  will 
pant  for  breath,  some  of  them  racing  about,  others 
"chupping"  madly.  If  this  continues  for  as  much  as  say 
five  minutes,  open  your  inlet  air  slide  to  full  capacity 
and  open  the  upper  outlet  slide  about  half  way;  then 
turn  down  the  regulating  screw  on  the  stove,  giving  it 
two  or  three  full-round  turns.  This  will  reduce  the  heat 
and  increase  the  fresh  air  in  a  very  short  time. 

Give  the  chicks  a  chance  to  settle  down  in  the  new 


WITH  4200  HENS  75 

atmosphere  before  making  further  radical  changes.  If 
they  quiet  down  and  begin  to  take  an  interest  in  water 
and  feed,  close  the  upper  outlet  shaft  slide  and  increase 
the  opening  in  the  lower  .one.  Then  leave  them  to 
themselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  they  crowd  each  other  and  pack 
together,  even  right  under  the  hood  of  the  stove,  run  up 
the  temperature  by  turning  up  the  regulator  screw;  but 
do  this  slowly.  Turn  it  a  quarter  ways  around,  leave  it 
for  a  few  minutes,  until  you  hear  the  buzzing  of  the 
flame,  then  turn  it  a  little  further,  and  so  on,  until  you 
have  raised  the  temperature  two  or  three  degrees.  Then 
leave  it  at  that  for  half  an  hour  or  so ;  and  if,  after  that 
length  of  time  they  are  still  crowding  the  stove,  repeat 
the  operation,  and  continue  doing  so  until  they  scat- 
ter and  take  to  the  water  and  feed. 

Meantime  some  of  them  may  show  an  inclination  to 
peck  one  another's  toes ;  this  is  not  serious  at  this  age.  If 
you  wish  to  take  no  chances  of  their  getting  started  on  a 
rampage  of  toe-picking,  catch  the  chaps  that  do  it  and  give 
them  a  drink.  Hold  the  little  fellow  between  your  thumb 
and  middle  finger,  leaving  the  index  finger  free.  Take  him. 
to  a  fountain,  and  with  the  index  finger  "duck"  his  head  to 
the  water.  Don't  hold  his  head  down  very  long — he  must 
raise  his  head  to  get  the  water  where  he  wants  it.  Then 
remove  one  fountain  from  the  ring,  tear  off  an  edge  of 
tar  paper,  put  a  little  feed  on  it,  and  set  your  toe-peck- 
ing chap  outside  the  ring  with  this  feed  and  water  to 
amuse  him.  Don't  forget  him,  though,  and  step  on  him 
later  on  or  leave  him  out  all  night. 

Chances   are   that   in   an   hour   or   so   they   will   have 


76  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

cleaned  up  your  feed  and  are  acting  like  old  stagers.  If 
so,  give  them  another  light  scattering.  You  want  to  get 
them  all  to  eating  and  drinking  as  fast  as  ever  you  can. 
Some  of  them  will  still  stand  around  and  "chup,"  and 
will  go  to  sleep  that  way,  without  taking  feed  or  water 
the  first  day.  They  will  cry  at  intervals  throughout  the 
night.  If  you  are  patient  and  wish  to  bother  with  it,  find 
the  owner  of  the  voice  you  hear  and  give  him  a  drink. 
The  writer  has  gotten  out  of  bed  many  a  time  because 
he  could  not  stand  the  crying  voices  and  after  making 
a  few  chaps  happy  with  a  drink  has  in  all  probability 
not  only  saved  chicks  from  starvation  but  made  his  own 
night  more  comfortable.  This  is  the  "personal  element" 
we  hear  so  much  about  in  connection  with  the  conduct  of 
any  line  of  business,  like  the  storekeeper  who  goes  to 
the  store  especially  to  accommodate  some  good  customer. 

Should  your  chicks  arrive  in  the  morning,  so  that  they 
have  had  their  first  feed  and  water  before  noon,  leave 
them  until  about  2  o'clock ;  at  that  hour  give  them  another 
light  scattering  of  feed  and  tilt  the  water  fountains  again 
so  that  the  water  is  up  to  the  edge  of  the  saucer.  Keep 
,the  water  at  as  high  a  level  in  the  saucer  as  you  can 
throughout  the  day.  At  4  o'clock  give  them  another 
feed  and  at  this  time  replenish  the  fountains,  using  water 
from  which  the  chill  has  been  taken  (by  adding  a  little 
hot  water).  The  easiest  way  to  refill  the  fountains  is  to 
carry  in  two  buckets,  one  filled  with  water,  the  other 
empty.  Empty  the  fountain  into  the  second  bucket,  then 
dip  it  into  the  fresh  bucket,  fit  the  saucer  over  it,  reverse 
it,  and  set  it  down.  You  will  have  to  move  very  cau- 
tiously, "feeling  your  way"  amongst  the  chicks  with  your 


WITH  4200  HENS  77 

foot  and  with  your  foot  pushing  aside  any  that  happen 
to  be  in  your  way.  You  will  learn  this  trick  quickly. 
While  in  the  ring-,  and  later  when  you  have  turned  them 
loose  in  the  house,  make  it  a  practice  to  keep  your  feet 
as  close  to  the  floor  as  you  can. 

If  you  are  just  starting  in  the  business  you  will  very 
likely  have  someone  coming  in  to  see  your  new  chicks. 
Put  a  sign  on  the  outside  of  the  door  reading  "Be  quiet;" 
and  if  you  take  anyone  into  the  brooder  house,  caution 
them  to  be  quiet.  When  the  chicks  are  just  hatched  noises 
will  not  bother  them  so  much  but  when  they  are  a  few 
days  old  and  thereafter  it  will  be  a  very  harmful  influence 
to  have  someone  come  up  to  the  house  (or  into  it)  and 
clap  their  hands  and  shout  for  joy  at  the  sight.  The  little 
chaps  will  drop  in  their  tracks  or  dash  wildly  for  cover; 
and  anything  of  the  sort  will  cost  you  money  because 
a  sudden  nervous  shock  hurts  any  tender,  nervous  organi- 
zation. The  more  vigorous  they  are  the  more  nervous 
they  will  be.  This  is  not  so  noticeable  when  they  are 
segregated  into  small  lots,  but  where  they  are  kept  in 
swarms  as  we  keep  them  it  stands  out  boldly.  You  will 
learn  it  for  yourself  but  guard  against  it  if  you  can. 

The  4  o'clock  feed  is  the  last  for  the  first  day.  Leave 
them  until  5  (if  early  in  the  season),  until  6  if  later,  but 
not  until  dark.  The  curtains  should  be  raised  before  the  4 
o'clock  feed  if  the  day  is  short,  so  they  will  have  plenty 
of  light  for  the  final  feed.  If  the  day  is  longer  the  cur- 
tains remain  down.  An  hour  after  the  last  feed  the  water 
pots  are  removed ;  set  them  outside  the  circle.  Then  pick 
up  the  tar  paper.  Brush  off  any  chicks  standing  on  it 
and  put  the  paper  outside  the  circle.  Pile  up  the  differ- 


78  HOW  I  MADE  $10;000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

ent  pieces,  saving  what  feed  remains  on  them.  Scatter 
this  in  the  litter  outside  the  ring  or  leave  it  for  the  morn- 
ing feed,  whichever  is  easiest  for  you.  It  is  better  not 
to  scatter  it  inside  the  ring  where  they  will  sleep  on  it. 

Then  let  the  chicks  settle  down.  If  after  half  an  hour 
or  so,  when  they  have  begun  to  settle,  they  show  an  incli- 
nation to  crowd  toward  the  stove,  increase  the  heat  by 
turning  the  upper  screw  of  the  regulator,  but  do  it  slowly. 
You  want  them  to  stay  at  least  two  feet  away  from  the 
legs  of  the  stove.  As  darkness  comes  on  they  will  miss 
their  mother.  There  will  be  a  great  deal  of  crying  and 
they  will  "cuddle"  toward  one  another,  trying  to  "get 
under."  You  will  simply  have  to  grin  and  bear  this. 
They  will  finally  settle  down,  very  close  to  each  other. 
They  may  favor  one  side  or  the  other,  bunching  up ;  if 
so,  spread  them  around  the  stove  by  pushing  a  bunch 
along  the  straw.  You  may  have  to  take  a  handful  here 
and  there  and  remove  it  bodily  to  another  section.  When 
they  are  a  few  days  older  they  will  find  the  right  degree 
in  the  circle ;  and  very  often  even  the  newly  hatched 
will  spread  round  the  stove  in  a  perfect  circle. 

Should  the  main  body  crowd  the  outer  edge  of  the 
wire  circle,  the  temperature  is  too  high  and  it  should  be 
reduced  by  turning  down  the  stove.  Only  on  warm  nights 
will  it  be  necessary  to  increase  the  air  supply  by  opening 
the  inlet  shaft  more  than  an  inch  or  so  and  the  outlet  shaft 
by  three  inches  (on  the  bottom  slide).  You  can  gauge 
this  by  your  own  sensation  while  in  the  room.  The  air 
should  be  sweet  but  not  cool.  And  remember  that  the 
feeling  you  have  while  standing  upright  is  no  guide — 
your  face  may  feel  hot  and  close  but  the  chicks  are  far 


WITH  4200  HENS'  79 

from  the  atmosphere  you  are  "tasting."  The  fresh  air 
is  on  the  floor  and  the  greatest  heat  is  near  the  rool — 
you  must  get  down  to  the  level  of  the  chicks  before  your 
judgment  can  be  taken.  If  your  thermometer  reads  be- 
tween 90  and  95  and  the  chicks  are  settled  with  the  outer 
ones  near  the  thermometer,  your  heat  is  about  right ;  and 
if  you  do  not  feel  a  "stuffiness"  in  the  air  when  you  get 
your  face  down  near  the  thermometer,  your  air  is  about 
right. 

We  usually  look  in  on  the  chicks  at  about  7  o'clock 
and  again  just  before  going  to  bed.  Newly  hatched,  they 
should  now  look  like  a  big  omelette,  close  together,  many 
with  their  necks  stretched  flat  along  the  straw ;  but  they 
should  not  be  piled  three  or  four  deep.  If  they  are  so 
piled  up  and  are  the  proper  distance  from  the  stove  there 
is  too  much  air.  Correct  this  by  reducing  the  opening 
in  the  air  shafts.  Before  leaving  the  house  on  the  last 
round,  test  the  alarm  system  by  pressing  the  contact 
points  together  first  on  one  side,  then  the  other.  The 
bell  in  the  house  should  ring  each  time. 

We  leave  the  curtains  down  at  night  for  the  first  few 
nights.  Thereafter  it  is  raised  after  dark. 

Second  Day 

On  the  second  day  raise  the  curtains  as  soon  after  day- 
light as  possible.  Put  down  the  tar  paper  plats,  scat- 
tering the  grain  on  them  as  you  go.  This  will  be  rather 
a  tedious  process  on  this  day  because  they  have  not  yet 
learned  that  it  means  "eat."  Next  day  it  will  go  easier. 
When  they  have  had  the  feed  about  half  an  hour  put 
in  the  water  pots.  Temper  the  water  to  the  heat  of  your 
hand  and  add  a  level  teaspoonful  of  common  baking  soda 
to  each  quart  of  water.  (Use  the  two-bucket  scheme  for 


80  HOW  1  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

emptying  and  refilling  the  pots).  This  is  done  to  over- 
come possible  fermentation  in  the  little  crops,  as  yet  un- 
used to  "outside"  feedstuffs.  Leave  them  with  their 
feed  and  water  for  about  an  hour.  Then  roll  up  the  circle 
and  set  it  aside.  If  you  have  the  space  above  the  rafter 
braces,  make  a  place  for  it  up  there ;  otherwise  provide  a 
bracket  of  some  kind  on  the  wall  on  which  to  hang  it. 
Don't  set  it  in  a  corner — it  looks  like  mother  to  them  and 
they  are  likely  to  crowd  up  around  it  during  the  day. 

If  the  day  opens  bright  and  clear  drop  the  curtains ;  if 
it  is  cloudy  leave  them  up  so  as  to  have  all  light  possible. 
Increase  the  ventilation  by  opening  the  air  shafts  wider— 
at  least  double  the  opening  used  during  the  night.  On 
very  warm  days  you  may  have  to  open  one  or  more 
windows  toward  noon.  Keep  the  air  fresh  and  pure. 
There  is  no  danger  of  overdoing  the  ventilation  during 
the  day — the  night  is  the  danger  period  in  this  respect. 
You  should  give  them  all  the  air  possible  during  the  day. 
Keep  the  temperature  up ;  they  can  get  away  from  the 
heat  in  the  ends  of  the  house. 

Scatter  a  light  feed  of  the  oats,  wheat  and  corn  on  the 
plats  every  three  hours;  leave  the  plats  in  place  on  the 
second  day  so  that  the  slower  ones  may  yet  have  a  chance 
to  catch  on.  We  make  it  a  point  to  so  regulate  the  quan- 
tity that  there  will  be  a  little  left  on  the  plats  an  hour 
after  feeding.  Empty  and  refill  the  water  pots  at  11  o'clock 
and  again  at  3,  but  omit  the  soda  after  the  first  filling; 
and  scatter  the  pots  pretty  well  all  over  the  room.  If 
the  chicks  favor  a  certain  portion  of  the  house,  put  sev- 
eral pots  in  the  vicinity.  Take  the  chill  off  the  water  at 
each  filling. 


WITH  4200  HENS  81 

When  bed  time  comes  you  will  have  some  trouble  in 
rounding  up  the  herd  on  this  second  night.  Fasten  one 
end  of  the  wire  to  the  wall  near  the  stove  and  unrolling 
it  as  you  go,  round  the  little  fellows  ahead  of  you.  In 
a  day  or  two  they  will  keep  well  ahead  and  it  will  be  but 
a  few  minutes  work  to  put  the  circle  in  place.  Stay  on 
the  outside  of  the  circle  as  you  unroll  it.  You  will  likely 
have  to  reduce  the  temperature  a  point  or  two  on  this 
night  to  keep  them  the  proper  distance  from  the  stove. 
Do  not  overlook  reducing  the  openings  of  the  airshafts. 
Get  them  back  to  the  position  at  which  you  had  them  the 
night  before.  Test  the  alarm  system  same  as  you  did 
last  night. 

Third  Day 

On  the  third  day  feed  and  water  early  in  the  morning 
as  before;  but  do  not  use  the  soda.  Remember  to  take 
the  chill  off  the  water.  Leave  them  in  the  circle  for  half 
an  hour,  then  remove  the  circle  and  pile  up  the  plats,  scat- 
tering the  left-over  grain  (if  any)  in  the  litter. 

At  9  or  9:30  on  the  third  day  we  give  them  dry  bran 
and  charcoal.  The  bran  must  be  absolutely  pure  and 
sweet — if  it  tastes  bitter  we  do  not  use  it.  To  a  sack  of 
bran  (80  or  90  Ibs.)  we  add  about  8  pounds  of  fine  char- 
coal. This  is  fed  in  little  troughs. 

The  trough  is  made  of  a  piece  of  ^2x3,  in  4  foot 
lengths,  on  each  side  of  which  is  nailed  an  ordinary  lath. 
The  end  pieces  are  3  inches  high  and  a  lath  is  nailed  across 
the  top  from  one  end  piece  to  the  other,  with  a  little  sup- 
port in  the  center  of  just  the  right  size  to  keep  the  top 
piece  from  sagging.  We  use  one  trough  to  each  hundred 
chicks.  The  troughs  are  set  lengthwise  of  the  house  close 


82  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

to  the  end  walls,  nine  of  them  near  the  closed  end  and 
five  in  the  end  where  the  door  is.  If  many  chicks  are 
working  near  the  stove  we  transfer  one  or  two  troughs 
from  each  end  to  the  side  walls  until  they  have  learned 
to  follow  them.  In  this  as  well  as  in  every  other  respect 
you  will  note  that  we  go  to  extra  trouble  to  get  the  little 
fellows  started. 

We  find  it  easier  to  fill  the  troughs  the  first  day  or 
two  near  the  door  and  to  carry  them  into  place  already 
filled.  We  use  five  gallon  oil  cans  for  feed  pails.  The  top 
is  cut  out  to  within  an  inch  of  the  edge.  This  one  inch 
is  turned  over,  making  the  top  stronger.  Heavy  wire  is 
used  for  a  bale ;  we  fasten  the  bale  toward  one  side  rather 
than  in  the  center.  This  makes  it  convenient  to  carry 
two  pails  in  one  hand  which  saves  steps  as  two  pails  full 
of  bran  can  be  carried  as  easily  as  one. 

The  troughs  are  filled  with  a  small-mouthed  scoop  or 
a  large  sized  flat  stove  shovel.  Enough  bran  is  put  into 
each  trough  to  bring  it  within  half  an  inch  of  the  top  of 
the  side  pieces.  If  the  trough  is  filled  level  full  there 
will  be  too  much  waste — there  will  be  some  in  any  event, 
especially  for  the  first  few  days  as  some  of  the  little  fel- 
lows will  crawl  into  almost  any  sized  opening.  We 
have  found  that  a  trough  of  the  exact  dimensions  given 
is  least  wasteful. 

The  bran  troughs  are  removed  at  about  11:30.  We 
fasten  two  brackets  to  each  end  wall,  not  quite  four  feet 
apart  and  about  two  feet  wide,  and  the  troughs  are  set 
on  the  brackets.  The  top  piece  of  the  trough  being  flat 
and  wide,  the  troughs  will  "stack"  nicely.  The  water  pots 
are  then  refilled  and  the  plats  are  put  down,  most  of  them 


WITH  4200  HENS  83 

where  the  troughs  have  been  but  at  least  two  on  each 
side  of  the  stove.  A  liberal  scattering'  of  grain  is  spread 
on  them  and  this  remains  in  place  for  about  half  an  hour. 
The  quantity  can  be  gauged  only  by  experimenting. 
Measure  it  in  scoopfuls  and  if  they  leave  part  of  it,  reduce 
it  next  time;  if  they  clean  it  up  in  less  time,  increase  it. 
At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  the  plats  are  piled  up  again 
and  the  troughs  are  replaced.  If  any  are  empty  they  are 
refilled;  but  they  must  be  cleaned  up  before  more  is 
added. 

At  3  o'clock  the  water  is  freshened  again  and  the 
troughs  are  removed.  Grain  is  fed  at  4  and  the  plats 
remain  in  place  until  bedtime.  If  the  grain  is  cleaned  up 
entirely  within  a  short  time  a  little  more  is  scattered,  but 
it  must  be  cleaned  up  quickly  and  completely  before  this 
is  done.  The  circle  is  put  into  place  as  before,  the  ventila- 
tion is  adjusted  and  the  alarm  is  tested. 

Fourth   Day 

The  same  routine  is  followed  on  the  4th  day.  At  this 
stage  it  usually  becomes  necessary  to  begin  reducing  the 
temperature.  The  location  of  the  chicks  within  the  circle 
after  they  have  settled  down  is  the  best  guide  to  follow 
in  reducing  the  temperature.  It  should  be  done  gradu- 
ally, one  or  two  degrees  at  most.  The  7  o'clock  inspec- 
tion trip  is  the  best  time;  then  in  looking  in  again  just 
before  retiring  a  re-adjustment  can  be  made  if  necessary. 

Fifth  and  Sixth  Days 

On  the  fifth  day  chick  mash  replaces  the  bran  and 
green  stuff  is  fed  at  noon  in  place  of  the  grain.  The 
simplest  way  of  handling  the  chick  mash  problem  is  to 


WITH  4200  HENS  85 

use  equal  parts  of  bran  and  hen  mash,  with  the  addition 
of  100  pounds  of  bone  meal  to  each  completed  ton,  and 
this  is  not  only  a  simple  method  but  it  continues  the 
heavy  feeding  of  bran  on  which  we  place  great  reliance. 
The  formula  of  hen  mash  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
devoted  to  feeding  the  layers.  At  this  stage  we  begin 
to  weigh  the  feed  with  the  idea  of  keeping  the  chicks  on 
half  mash  and  half  grain  (by  weight).  A  quantity  of 
grain  is  weighed  into  a  pail  in  the  morning,  likewise  a 
quantity  of  mash  into  other  pails.  This  is  used  for  the 
day's  feeding.  In  the  evening  the  remainder  is  weighed 
and  the  results  indicate  the  course  to  be  followed  next 
day.  If  your  memory  is  not  good,  mark  the  results  on  a 
card  fastened  to  the  wall  in  the  feedhouse. 

The  chicks  will  be  slow  to  take  the  green  stuff  at  first. 
We  use  the  plats,  to  which  they  have  become  accustomed. 
Very  little  will  be  needed  at  first,  but  in  a  short  time 
they  will  take  to  it  and  then  they  are  given  all  they  will 
eat.  The  plats  can  then  be  omitted.  When  they  have 
learned  to  eat  the  greens  readily  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  remove  the  troughs  at  noon.  They  can  be  left  in  place 
all  day. 

Seventh  to  Eleventh  Days 

On  the  7th  day  the  grain  is  fed  in  the  morning  without 
using  the  plats;  but  they  are  used  for  the  evening  feed. 
At  this  stage  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  a  higher  and 
wider  netting  for  the  circle ;  we  use  one  2  feet  high  and 
long  enough  to  make  an  oval  reaching  from  side  to  side 
of  the  house  and  about  18  feet  at  the  longest  point.  It 
is  covered  with  muslin  like  the  other.  To  support  the 
wire,  cords  are  fastened  to  the  roof  with  a  hook  on  the 


86  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

end  of  each.  When  the  wire  is  unrolled  the  hooks  are 
fastened  as  they  are  passed.  The  ventilation  will  have  to 
be  increased;  this  is  done  by  increasing  the  openings  in 
both  inlet  and  outlet  shafts.  The  chicks  are  likely  now 
to  be  settling  nearer  the  wire,  but  this  is  of  no  conse- 
quence. 

If  the  litter  is  beginning  to  look  bare  in  spots,  add  an- 
other inch  or  two. 

The  water  pots  are  now  set  on  little  platforms.  These 
are  made  of  half  inch  pieces  about  one  foot  square  nailed 
to  blocks  three  inches  high.  They  are  set  close  together, 
about  five  feet  from  the  stove,  half  on  each  side  of  it; 
at  the  noon  filling  they  are  set  further  back.  The  water 
is  no  longer  tempered  from  this  time  on  unless  freezing 
weather  prevails.  The  pots,  platforms  and  all,  are  set 
back  still  farther  when  the  wire  is  put  up  at  night  and 
when  the  wire  is  in  place  one  or  two  pots  are  set  inside 
of  it,  close  to  the  stove,  for  the  benefit  of  ar/y  chaps  that 
may  have  Overlooked  their  bed  time  drink.  When  the 
last  inspection  is  made  at  night  all  of  the  pots  are-returned 
to  their  place  inside  the  wire.  This  gives  them  water 
early  in  the  morning,  tempered,  and  at  breakfast  time 
they  will  be  found  busily  scratching. 

Twelfth  to  Twentieth  Days 

On  the  12th  day  more  straw  is  added  to  the  litter.  Ii 
baled  straw  is  available  save  out  several  chunks  of  it. 
Use  these  to  bank  up  the  corners,  stuffing  loose  straw 
behind  them  to  avoid  a  nice  crawling-in  place  in  which 
you  would  most  likely  find  several  hundred  stacked  up 
and  smothered. 


WITH  4200  HENS  87 

A  strip  of  muslin  is  now  tacked  to  the  rear  wall,  ex- 
tending to  the  floor.  The  wire,  instead  of  forming  an 
oval,  is  used  running  from  one  end  wall  to  the  other; 
one  end  is  fastened  just  inside  the  outlet  airshaft,  the 
other  end  on  the  inlet  shaft.  It  bulges  out  in  the  center 
where  it  goes  around  the  stove.  It  is  upheld  by  the  cords 
and  hooks  which  are  changed  to  conform  with  the  new 
position.  The  idea  is  to  herd  the  chicks  toward  the  back 
wall,  where  the  roosts  will  be.  The  muslin  on  the  back 
wall  is  a  big  help.  It  still  looks  like  "mother."  The  tem- 
perature is  increased  for  the  night  at  this  stage  as  the 
chicks  will  be  farther  from  the  stove.  Some  lots  will  re- 
quire a  bit  of  herding  when  this  change  is  made,  but  ordi- 
narily they  take  to  it  readily  enough  after  one  or  two 
evenings. 

On  the  14th  day  the  roosts  are  let  down  in  the  morning 
before  the  troughs  are  put  in  place;  the  troughs  are  set 
in  double  rows  beyond  the  roosts  with  one  or  two  on  top 
of  them,  set  between  the  cross  bars.  This  helps  to  get 
the  chicks  upstairs.  The  roosts  are  raised  when  the 
evening  grain  is  fed. 

On  the  18th  day  larger  troughs  are  used.  These  are 
made  of  j/2x4,  6  feet  long,  for  the  bottom,  with  two  pieces 
of  ^x2  for  the  sides,  and  the  top  is  of  3/2x2,  the  end 
pieces  being  4  inches  high.  Larger  water  pots  are  used 
(4  or  5  quart)  and  fewer  of  them. 

Three  Weeks  and  Thereafter 

At  3  weeks  the  morning  grain  feed  is  omitted  anci 
sprouted  oats  are  fed  at  from  9  to  10  o'clock.  The  oats 
is  not  allowed  to  sprout  into  a  matted  mass  buj  is  used 
when  the  white  roots  are  about  half  an  inch  long.  The 


88  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

chicks  take  to  this  readily.  Enough  is  fed  to  last  them 
about  15  minutes.  It  is  fed  in  the  litter.  At  this  time 
we  begin  adding  coarse  grain  to  the  evening  feed,  mix- 
ing it  with  the  chick  grain  in  gradually  increasing  quan- 
tities until  the  chick  grain  is  entirely  replaced  at  about 
7  weeks. 

We  use  the  same  grain  for  the  chicks  as  we  do  for  the 
layers  excepting  that  we  never  give  them  barley  with 
the  hulls  on  it. 

A  pan  of  medium  shell  and  medium  granite  ^rit  is  also 
given  them  at  this  stage  and  is  kept  before  them  con- 
stantly. 

At  four  weeks  the  roosts  are  let  down  permanently. 
Some  time  after  the  evening  grain  feed  has  been  cleaned 
up,  but  before  the  chicks  begin  to  settle  down  behind  the 
wire,  we  raise  the  end  roosts  and  kick  the  straw  into  the 
corners,  building  it  up  to  the  heighth  of  the  roosts.  This 
prevents  corner-crowding  and  is  also  an  encouragement 
toward  climbing  up  on  the  roosts. 

We  usually  clean  out  the  brooder  house  and  put  in 
fresh  straw  the  day  before  the  roosts  are  to  be  lowered 
permanently. 

If  warm  nights  prevail  at  from  3  to  4  weeks  it  may  be 
necessary  to  temporarily  increase  the  ventilation  when 
the  chicks  begin  to  settle  down.  We  do  this  by  opening 
the  upper  slide  of  the  outlet  shaft  about  an  inch.i 
It  is  left  open  until  the  7  o'clock  inspection  at  which 
time,  if  the  night  air  is  cool,  it  is  closed  again. 

If  the  night  air  is  warm  it  may  be  necessary  to  leave  a 
slight  opening  in  this  upper  slide  all  night.  You  can  tell 
by  the  cnicks  whether  or  not  it  is  necessary.  If  they  are 


WITH  4200  HENS  89 

lying  close  together  in  the  straw,  (such  as  are  not  on 
the  roosts),  or  if  those  that  climbed  up  have  dropped  off, 
the  upper  slide  may  remain  closed. 

If  they  are  uncomfortably  warm  they  will  lie  far  apart, 
some  with  open  mouths.  It  seldom  happens  that  the 
upper  slide  must  be  left  open  all  night  (at  this  stage) 
with  early  hatches ;  the  March  hatche.s  may  require  it. 
We  have  even  found  it  necessary  during  a  very  hot  spell 
to  put  in  a  screen  door  at  their  bedtime,  leaving  the  main 
door  wide  open,  until  our  own  bedtime.  In  this  case 
the  front  windows  are  also  left  open.  The  chicks  being 
against  the  back  wall  they  are  in  no  danger  from  drafts. 

As  soon  as  the  chicks  have  become  accustomed  to  the 
roosts  being  left  down,  usually  in  two  or  three  days,  the 
use  of  the  wire  is  discontinued  and  the  muslin  on  the  back 
wall  is  removed. 

Use  of  the  Yards 

The  age  when  the  chicks  may  be  permitted  outdoors 
is  dependent  entirely  on  the  weather.  January  hatches 
are  seldom  turned  out  before  they  are  10  days  old  and 
then  only  on  clear,  warm  days.  We  leave  them  out  but 
a  short  time  at  first,  herding  them  back  into  the  house 
until  they  grow  accustomed  to  running  in  and  out.  Wre 
use  a  sloping  runway,  made  of  boards,  as  wide  as  the 
doorway,  to  make  it  easy  for  them  to  go  back  and  forth. 
Care  is  used  to  keep  the  space  between  the  runway  and 
the  fence  filled  with  dirt  so  the  chicks  cannot  pack  up 
in  this  space;  and  we  also  bank  the  corners  of  the  yard 
with  dirt  to  prevent  crowding. 

If  the  yard  is  in  growing  green  stuff  we  cut  it  with  a 
lawn  mower  before  the  chicks  are  turned  out.  The  out- 


90  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

side  water  pot  is  not  used  until  the  chicks  have  been  out- 
doors off  and  on  for  at  least  a  week.  This  keeps  them 
running  into  the  warm  house  for  water. 

Half  of  the  mash  troughs  are  brought  into  the  yard 
from  the  house  as  soon  as  the  weather  permits,  but  on  the 
January  hatches  this  is  seldom  done  before  three  weeks. 

The  March  hatches -are  let  out  earlier  and  they  have 
their  outside  water  pot  and  mash  troughs  earlier  also. 
Common  sense  will  dictate  the  course  to  be  followed  in 
respect  to  these  matters.  Our  rule  is  to  take  no  chances 
on  exposure  to  inclement  weather.  If  a  cold  wind  or  driv- 
ing rain  sets  in  while  the  chicks  are  outdoors,  when  they 
are  less  than  four  or  five  weeks  old,  we  take  the  trouble 
to  herd  them  in.  It  is  a  bit  troublesome  at  first,  but  they 
soon  learn  your  purpose;  and  in  a  short  time  your  appear- 
ance in  the  yard  along  with  a  sudden  drop  in  tempera- 
ture or  a  heavy  rain  will  be  a  signal  to  "scoot." 

The  second  division  of  the  yard  is  opened  as  soon  as 
an  appreciable  number  of  the  chicks  begin  to  fly  over  the 
little  division  fence.  We  do  not  cut  the  green  stuff  in 
the  second  yard — they  are  allowed  to  mow  it  themselves. 
The  feeding  of  green  stuff  inside  the  house  is  not  dis- 
continued when  the  chicks  are  turned  outdoors. 

If  the  weather  is  favorable  at  about  4  weeks,  half  of 
the  sprouted  oats  and  half  of  the  evening  grain  is  fed 
outdoors  from,  that  time  on. 

With  the  late  hatches  care  is  taken  to  keep  the  first 
division  of  the  yard  from  getting  dusty;  it  is  wet  down 
regularly. 

At  from  5  to  6  weeks  the  cockerels  are  taken  out;  but 
belore  entering  on  this  phase  of  the  work  the  description 


WITH  4200  HENS  91 

will  be  interrupted  to  discuss  possible  troubles  that  may 
have  been  encountered  meantime. 

Chick  Troubles  and  Diseases 

The  reader,  especially  the  novice,  might  assume  from 
the  description  given  that  we  still  have  all  the  chicks  that 
we  counted  out  of  the  boxes.  If  such  were  the  case  there 
would  be  no  money  in  egg-farming — it  would  be  too  easy 
to  be  profitable. 

We  count  on  raising  to  the  broiler  and  egg-laying 
stages  about  80  per  cent  of  the  chicks  hatched.  Judging 
by  what  you  read  in  descriptions  of  brooding  appliances 
this  may  seem  startling  to  you.  And  to  the  experienced 
man  who  uses  another  method  it  may  seem  that  we  do 
a  lot  of  unnecessary  work  and  spend  a  lot  of  time  to  get 
such  poor  ( ?)  results.  To  the  latter  might  be  given  the 
reminder  that  we  are  dealing  with  1500  chicks  all  the  time 
— if  we  had  to  do  all  these  things  in  twenty  or  thirty 
different  compartments,  opening  and  closing  that  many 
gates  for  each  operation,  we  would  never  "arrive."  As 
a  matter  of  fact  the  writer  can  easily  handle  from  4,500  to 
5,000  chicks  single  handed  and  alone  on  the  plan  herein 
given;  and  he  not  only  can  do  it  but  he  does  and  he 
handles  a  lot  of  other  work  along  with  it. 

The  percentage  of  chicks  raised  is  based  on  a  year 
after  year  average  and  handling  from  five  to  six  lots  each 
season.  In  good  seasons  we  do  far  better — we  had  one 
lot  of  1,650  this  year  (1919)  out  of  which  the  total  brooder 
house  mortality  was  only  85  chicks.  This  is  the  best 
record  we  ever  made  with  such  a  large  lot.  It  is  not  safe 
to  count  on  doing  that  well  one  year  with  another  in 


92  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

large  lots.  A  greater  percentage  could  probably  be 
raised  if  the  chicks  are  brooded  in  small  lots;  but  one 
man  could  not  handle  so  many.  We  prefer  making  a 
big  showing  of  matured  birds  to  a  higher  percentage  and 
fewer  of  them. 

We  count  on  half  pullets  and  half  cockerels.  This  too 
will  vary  with  different  seasons  but  half  and  half  is  a 
fair  average. 

Danger  Periods 

There  are  three  distinct  periods  in  the  grow.th  of 
chicks  when  they  seem  more  susceptible  to  weakness  and 
all  are  related  to  the  process  of  feathering.  The  first  stage 
is  when  they  are  two  or  three  days  out  of  the  incubator. 
They  are  sprouting  wing  and  tail  feathers  at  this  time. 
Some  will  go  down  under  the  strain,  others  will  fall 
behind  the  flock  in  development  and  as  a  rule  will  never 
catch  up.  The  second  period,  at  from  10  to  14  days,  is 
marked  by  the  coming  in  of  the  feathers  on  the  crop,  on 
the  back  and  on  the  neck;  and  the  final  period  (in  the 
chick  stage)  is  when  the  feathers  come  in  on  the  head, 
usually  at  from  5  to  7  weeks. 

Mention  is  made  of  these  periods  because  we  keep  a 
careful  eye  on  the  chicks  at  that  time.  They  always  look 
ragged  and  rather  hopeless  when  the  head  feathers  are 
coming.  We  never  allow  them  to  suffer  from  exposure 
at  such  times.  If  they  do  not  seem  normally  active  we 
give  them  a  tonic  for  two  or  three  days.  We  use  the 
Douglas  Mixture  in  the  water,  at  the  rate  of  a  teaspoon- 
ful  to  a  quart  of  water.  This  is  put  into  the  water  at 
the  morning  renewal;  the  afternoon  water  is  given  clear. 
The  formula  will  be  given  elsewhere — consult  the  index. 


WITH  4200  HENS  93 

Diseases 

Some  chicks  will  die  off  for  no  apparent  reason — they 
are  simply  found  dead,  apparently  in  perfect  condition  ex- 
cepting for  that  sad  fact.  Experts  find  reasons  for  it — 
in  practice  we  have  no  explanation.  You  may  safely 
count  on  finding  one  of  these  every  now  and  again ;  but 
if  you  find  them  dead  in  bunches,  plump  bodies,  fine  look- 
ing little  chaps,  look  to  your  feed.  Is  your  grain  sound 
and  sweet?  If  it  is  not  fit  for  you  to  eat  it  is  not  fit  for 
your  chicks.  And  your  bran — is  it  sweet  and  pure?  Or 
do  you  find  lumps  of  it  tinged  with  greenish  mould?  Have 
you  spilt  water  in  the  litter  and  allowed  the  soggy  mass 
to  remain,  tainting  the  grain  and  waste  mash,  to  be  found 
and  eaten  by  the  little  fellows  looking  for  variety?  Are 
you  giving  them  partially  decayed  vegetable  tops,  or  fer- 
mented table  scraps?  Is  the  meat  in  the  mash  faulty? 
Did  you  leave  them  exposed  to  a  sudden  chilling  rain? 

Nine  times  in  ten  the  reason  for  numerous  sudden 
deaths  will  be  found  in  this  list.  If  you  find  the  fault, 
give  the  whole  flock  a  dose  of  salts  next  morning,  common 
Epsom  Salts,  a  tablespoonful  to  a  gallon  of  water  (dis- 
solve it  in  hot  water  and  add  to  your  pail)  in  mild  cases, 
double  the  dose  if  the  attack  is  severe.  Give  them  fresh 
water  in  the  afternoon,  and  follow  with  the  Douglas  Mix- 
ture, as  already  directed,  the  next  two  days. 

You  may  have  some  leg  weakness — sturdy  chicks  get- 
ting down  on  their  knees.  Once  more  the  scientists  give 
us  the  cause  but  we  admit  our  ignorance.  We  have  seen 
it  with  all  kinds  of  brooding  methods  and  with  various 
feeding  systems.  We  do  not  know  the  cause  nor  the 
proper  remedy.  If  the  attack  is  a  severe  one  we  assume 


94  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

that  a  thorough  cleansing  and  disinfecting  of  the  intesti- 
nal tract  cannot  be  harmful  and  we  give  them  the  salts 
and  tonic.  Our  experience  is  that  the  greater  number 
get  over  it.  We  segregate  those  affected,  putting  them 
in  a  large  wire  covered  box,  not  too  near  the  stove,  until 
they  get  their  legs  again. 

"Puffy  crops"  is  another  common  trouble.  You  will 
see  chicks  here  and  there,  early  in  the  morning,  with 
bloated  crops  which  on  examination  are  found  to  be  air- 
filled.  An  isolated  case  can  be  treated  with  a  bit  of 
co'mmon  soda,  dissolved  in  water  and  poured  down  the 
throat.  If  numerous  cases  develop  give  the  whole  lot  a 
dose  of  soda  (as  already  described),  adding  a  heaping 
teaspoonful  of  ground  ginger  to  two  or  three  gallons  of 
water;  give  this  two  mornings  in  succession. 

Toe-picking  is  often  encountered.  The  cause  has  been 
ascribed  to  almost  everything  under  the  sun,  from  lack 
of  meat  to  an  injured  toe  suffered  by  the  great  grand- 
father. We  think  it  is  started  by  a  nervous  condition 
due  generally  to  excessive  heat  and  lack  of  air,  either  in 
the  incubator  (after  hatching),  on  the  road  home,  or  in 
the  brooder  house.  Once  started  it  is  hard  to  control.  At 
the  first  sign  we  make  sure  there  is  plenty  of  fresh  air 
in  the  house  and  that  the  temperature  is  not  too  high. 
Next  the  windows  are  darkened;  and  if  the  light  is  still 
very  strong  the  glass  can  be  painted  over  with  whitewash 
into  which  a  little  lampblack  or  some  blueing  is  added. 
Then  a  special  effort  is  made  to  keep  the  chicks  busy- 
rake  the  litter  into  piles  at  intervals;  they  will  try  to 
scratch  them  down  as  fast  as  you  make  them.  Add  a 
little  grain  to  each  pile.  Give  them  extra  greens.  Hang 


WITH  4200  HENS  95 

bunches  of  lettuce  against  the  walls — anything  that  will 
divert  them.  This  is  the  best  treatment  we  know  of.  The 
chaps  that  have  been  attacked  must  be  segregated  in  a 
box  or  something  of  the  kind.  As  long  as  bloody  toes 
are  in  evidence  they  will  keep  at  it. 

White  Diarrhoea  and  Coccidiosis 

There  remain  but  two  well-recognized  troubles  to  be 
discussed,  and,  judging  by  the  quantity  of  matter  written 
concerning  them,  these  two  cause  by  far  the  greater 
mortality  amongst  chicks :  White  Diarrhoea  and  Cocd- 
diosis.  The  writer  has  so  far  been  spared  experience  with 
either  of  them,  although  he  has  been  called  on  many  times 
for  assistance  in  handling  chicks  so  infected.  Whether  his 
having  escaped  them  is  due  to  his  method  of  handling 
the  chicks,  either  in  brooding  or  in  feeding,  he  is  not 
prepared  to  say.  This  work  being  based  entirely  on  his 
experience  he  might  very  properly  avoid  the  issue,  but 
with  the  understanding  that  he  is  dealing  with  theories 
he  ventures  these  opinions,  based  entirely  on  obser- 
vation : 

White  diarrhoea  is  most  commonly  recognized  as 
"pasted-up-behind,"  which  is  self-explanatory.  The 
chicks  become  droopy  and  listless,  stand  around  humped 
up,  usually  crowding  together  for  warmth,  and  die  off 
in  great  numbers. 

Scientists  tell  us  it  is  a  bacterial  disease  which  may  be 
transmitted  from  generation  to  generation  and  from  one 
chick  to  another.  This  sounds  rather  hopeless ;  and  it 
may  be  so.  The  wonder  then  is  that  there  are  any  chick- 
ens left  what  with  the  interchange  that  is  constantly 
going  on,  especially  with  the  growth  of  the  commercial 


96  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

hatchery  business.  But  we  will  admit  that  there  is  a 
distinct  bacterial  disease  of  the  kind.  Let  us  take  refuge 
in  the  suggestion  that  what  is  commonly  called  white 
diarrhoea  in  chicks  is  not  that  particular  disease.  From 
that  standpoint  it  can  safely  be  discussed. 

The  writer  believes  that  bowel  trouble  in  young  chicks, 
evidenced  by  "pasting  up,"  is  due  primarily  to  a  chilling 
of  the  chick  while  very  young  and  when  it  is  most  sus- 
ceptible to  such  a  shock.  And  in  the  light  of  such  a  belief 
it  will  more  readily  be  understood  why  he  so  strongly 
urges  extreme  care  in  handling  the  chicks.  If  the  reader 
is  sufficiently  interested  he  may  turn  back  the  pages  and 
learn  how  the  writer  would  avoid  the  trouble,  which  to 
his  notion  is  the  only  hope. 

A  flock  of  chicks  infected  with  white  diarrhoea  is  well- 
nigh  a  hopeless  proposition.  The  best  we  can  do,  all  we 
can  hope  for,  is  to  save  the  strongest.  We  would  give 
them  the  salts  and  tonic  treatment,  the  salts  once  a  week, 
the  tonic  every  other  day.  Most  authorities  dwell 
strongly  on  the  merits  of  sour  milk  or  buttermilk,  kept 
before  them  all  the  time.  This  must  not  be  given  in  tin 
or  galvanized  iron  vessels.  The  best  plan  is  to  scald 
several  of  the  mash  troughs,  to  make  them  water  tight, 
and  feed  it  in  the  troughs. 

More  important  is  the  matter  of  avoiding  further  ex- 
posure. If  the  theory  herein  advanced,  that  the  trouble 
is  due  to  chilling,  resulting  in  a  cold  settling  in  the  intes- 
tines ;  if  this  theory  is  correct,  we  must  first  of  all  make 
certain  that  the  chicks  are  no  longer  exposed  to  chilling. 
Excepting  late  in  the  season  they  had  perhaps  best  be 
kept  in  the  house  for  a  week  or  two,  where  the  air  is  kept 


WITH  4200  HENS  97 

not  only  fresh  and  pure  but  tempered  with  warmth  all 
over  the  room,  and  in  addition,  a  zone  of  extra  warmth 
may  be  found  close  to  the  stove  for  those  needing  it.  The 
objection  to  letting  them  outdoors  is  that  the  stronger 
ones,  those  able  to  withstand  possible  severe  changes  in 
temperature,  will  always  "scoot"  out,  and  the  weaker 
ones  that  need  a  tempered  atmosphere  will  run  with  them 
as  long  as  they  can,  finally  bunching  up  where  they  are 
still  in  sight  of  the  fellows  who  are  enjoying  themselves. 

A  change  in  the  feeding  method  is  also  advisable.  Let 
them  have  their  grain  and  greens  as  before,  but  abandon 
the  dry  mash  feeding  and  substitute  a  moistened  mash, 
fed  twice  a  day  say  at  10  a.  m.  and  3  p.  m.  If  milk  of 
any  kind  is  available,  use  it  to  moisten  the  mash,  not  a 
wet,  soggy  mass,  but  a  crumbly  mixture,  one  that  when 
balled  up  in  the  hand  will  fall  apart  readily  when  the 
pressure  is  removed.  The  addition  of  finely  chopped 
onions  or  garlic  and  stale  bread,  the  latter  previously 
soaked  in  milk  or  warm  water,  would  be  a  decided  bene- 
fit. Feed  the  grain  sparingly  and  use  the  plats  regard- 
less of  age,  but  in  addition  scatter  some  grain  promis- 
cuously through  the  litter. 

It  would  also  seem  advisable  to  clean  the  brooder  house 
once  a  week  while  the  trouble  is  running,  putting  in  fresh 
straw  at  each  cleaning.  Keep  the  temperature  up,  espe- 
cially at  night.  Keep  it  high  enough  so  that  they  will 
spread  out.  If  the  roosts  have  been  let  down,  put  them 
up  again  and  resume  the  use  of  the  wire  circle,  enlarg- 
ing it  sufficiently  so  that  the  stronger  chicks  can  get  away 
from  the  increased  heat.  Watch  the  ventilation  care- 
fully; give  them  plenty  of  fresh  air  at  night,  but  do  it 


98  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

through  the  air  shafts  rather  than  with  open  windows. 
Keep  the  windows  open  during  the  day,  and  if  the  days 
are  uncomfortably  warm,  use  a  screen  door  on  the  main 
doorway. 

The  writer  believes  that  when  you  have  done  all  this, 
you  have  done  everything  possible  and  that  you  will  save 
the  livable  chicks.  You  may  feed  some  of  the  many 
kinds  of  "dope"  offered  in  the  market  if  you  wish — we 
never  use  any ;  but  we  have  not  been  driven  to  it,  perhaps. 
Whether  you  use  ''dope"  or  not,  give  the  chicks  the  care 
herein  outlined;  they  need  it. 

Coccidiosis  looks  as  formidable  in  action  as  it  does  in 
print.  It  is  said  to  be  an  infection  of  the  Caeca,  some- 
times called  the  Appendix  or  Blind  Gut.  The  only  cases 
that  have  come  to  the  writer's  observation  have  been  m 
chicks  that  were  from  6  to  8  weeks  old.  The  outstanding 
symptom  is  the  passing  of  a  bloody  mucus  in  the  drop- 
pings. The  birds  go  down  very  fast  and  the  mortality 
is  extremely  heavy.  Bichloride  of  Mercury  has  been  used 
successfully  in  treating  this  disease.  The  preparation 
with  instructions  for  use  may  be  had  from  the  Poultry- 
men's  Co-operative  Milling  Association  of  Los  Angeles. 

Don't  Worry 

Should  the  reader  be  new  at  the  work,  let  him  beware 
of  too  much  pondering  over  what  has  herein  been  related 
as  to  chick  troubles;  and  more  particularly  let  him  be- 
ware of  studying  too  closely  the  booklets  and  circulars 
that  will  come  to  him  concerning  diseases  of  chicks. 

Too  many  people  are  influenced  by  these  lurid  descrip- 
tions ;  they  immediately  see  all  of  the  many  symptoms  de- 


WITH  4200  HENS  99 

scribed,  and  proceed  at  once  to  dose  and  doctor  the  imag- 
inary ills. 

One  of  the  most  successful  small  operators  the  writer 
knows,  a  man  who  has  brooded  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred 
chicks  each  year  for  a  number  of  years,  has  never  had 
trouble  of  any  kind  excepting  toe-picking ;  and  while  the 
writer  has  not  been  present  every  minute  of  the  time  yet 
he  is  morally  certain  that  this  man  has  never  fed  or  used 
an  ounce  of  "dope"  of  any  kind.  But  he  lives  with  his 
chicks.  If  they  are  outdoors  when  young  and  a  sudden 
cold  wind  comes  up,  he  drops  whatever  he  may  be  doing 
and  puts  his  chicks  inside.  Constant  care  and  thought 
for  the  welfare  of  those  chicks  is  the  only  panacea  he 
knows ;  and  in  the  writer's  estimation  his  is  the  best 
remedy. 

The  fact  that  he  raises  a  larger  percentage  of  his  chicks 
than  we  do  would  tend  to  prove,  to  us  at  least,  that  his 
greater  care  shows  up  in  his  better  results. 

Let  that  be  your  main  reliance ;  look  after  your  chicks 
carefully  and  methodically.  And  should  trouble  come  to 
you  in  spite  of  it,  check  back  your  work  (as  an  account- 
ant would  say) — try  and  find  the  point  wherein  you  failed 
to  properly  protect  them,  and  the  finding  of  the  error  will 
be  its  own  best  remedy.  Make  up  for  it  by  extra  care  as 
has  herein  been  outlined ;  your  chances  of  overcoming  the 
trouble  will  be  far  better  if  you  follow  some  such  method 
than  if  you  try  to  make  the  correction  by  dosing  and 
doping.  The  latter  method  is  like  unto  a  mother  whose 
baby  cries  because  of  a  loose  pin  and  who  quiets  it  with 
some  "doped"  soothing  syrup  while  the  pin  remains.  If 
you  fail  to  go  over  your  work  and  locate  the  cause  of 


100  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

the  trouble  you  have  learnt  nothing  from  the  experience. 
And  don't  get  "rattled."  You'll  forget  to  fill  the  fuel 
tank  or  set  the  house  afire  if  you  lose  your  head.  You 
cannot  expect  your  chicks  that  have  been  drooping  to 
show  up  in  fine  mettle  the  day  after  you  have  removed 
some  rotten  feed  or  closed  the  door  you  left  open  the  night 
before  or  restored  the  supply  of  fresh  air  which  you  acci- 
dentally shut  off.  Give  nature  a  chance  to  repair  the 
damage,  with  such  help  as  you  are  giving  her  in  the  way 
of  extra  care  and  special  feeding. 

Lice  and  Mite  Troubles 

We  have  never  had  lice  on  young  chicks  hatched  in  an 
incubator  and  brooded  artificially  excepting  during  our 
second  year  in  the  work  when  we  made  the  serious  mis- 
take of  mixing  hen-hatched  chicks  with  those  hatched 
in  the  incubators.  This  nearly  ruined  the  whole  year's 
work.  Since  then  we  take  special  precautions  to  see  that 
neither  hen-hatched  chicks  nor  old  fowls  gain  access  to 
the  brooder  houses  and  yards,  nor  are  any  such  allowed 
the  freedom  of  the  place  in  the  enjoyment  of  which  they 
might  wander  near  the  brooder  yards. 

You  will  have  no  mites  in  the  brooder  house  if  you 
spray  the  house  in  advance  as  we  do  ours. 

Cleaning  and  Spraying  the  Brooder  Houses 

We  clean  and  spray  the  brooder  houses  just  once  dur- 
ing the  brooding  stage.  This  is  done  at  about  4  weeks, 
when  the  roosts  are  let  down  permanently.  When  the 
January  chicks  are  taken  out  the  house  is  cleaned  and 
sprayed  before  the  next  brood  comes  on.  When  the 


WITH  4200  HENS  101 

March  chicks  are  carried  in  the  brooder  houses  beyond 
the  6  to  8  weeks'  stage  the  house  is  cleaned  every  ten 
days  and  is  sprayed  once  a  month. 

Training  the  Family  Cat 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  train  a  cat  to  leave  the  chicks 
alone  if  the  matter  is  gone  about  properly.  If  there  are 
young  cats  on  the  place  when  chicks  come  in  they  are 
taken  to  the  brooder  house,  in  among  the  chicks,  are 
given  the  "smell"  of  a  chick  along  with  a  reasonable 
cuffing.  This  is  repeated  several  times  and  thereafter 
they  usually  give  the  brooder  houses  a  wide  berth.  If 
they  are  found  nosing  around  the  brooder  house  after- 
ward we  make  a  point  of  having  a  pail  of  water  handy 
and  if  the  cat  can  be  given  one  good  drenching  the  les- 
son is  learned.  Should  a  cat  be  caught  in  the  house  or 
yard  with  a  chick  we  drench  it  in  a  barrel;  if  the  chick 
is  dead  we  force  it  into  its  mouth  for  the  drenching  and 
then  hang  it  around  the  cat's  neck  for  a  time. 

Old  cats  are  harder  to  train  but  with  patience  it  can 
be  done.  We  have  a  mother  cat  on  the  place  now  who 
has  been  found  time  and  again  watching  a  gopher  hole 
in  a  brooder  yard  with  chicks  all  around  her;  and  we 
have  watched  her  take  her  kittens  to  the  brooder  yard 
fence,  evidently  to  show  them  the  chicks,  and  when  they 
showed  interest  she  would  cuff  them  just  as  we  did  her. 
The  farm  is  a  sort  of  repository  for  stray  cats. 

Buying  Partly  Developed  Chicks 

At  times  an  opportunity  presents  itself  to  purchase 
partly  grown  chicks.  If  your  brooding  has  not  been  sue- 


102  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

cessful  or  if  you  could  handle  more  young  stock  than 
you  have  this  might  be  worth  while.  But  great  care 
must  be  exercised  or  your  last  state  will  be  worse  than 
your  first.  If  it  is  at  all  possible  it  would  be  better  to 
keep  the  new  lot  entirely  separate  from  your  own.  If 
this  is  not  practicable  you  must  be  sure  that  the  birds 
are  not  coming  from  a  place  where  disease  has  been  ram- 
pant and  that  the  chicks  are  not  infested  with  lice.  It 
seldom  pays  to  buy  a  run  down  lot  that  someone  has 
failed  with — you  are  only  risking  your  own. 

Under  no  circumstances  should  hen-brooded  chicks  be 
mixed  with  incubator  lots;  this  applies  no  matter  how 
clean  of  lice  they  may  seem  to  be.  The  possible  gain  is 
not  worth  the  risk.  If  you  can't  keep  the  hen-hatched 
lot  separate  from  the  others  do  not  buy  or  take  them. 

Taking  Out  the  Cockerels 

We  take  out  the  cockerels  at  from  5  to  6  weeks — those 
that  are  easily  distinguished.  They  can  usually  be  se- 
lected by  their  combs  and  shape,  but  the  selection  at  that 
age  is  more  or  less  guesswork,  especially  for  a  novice. 
Take  out  only  those  ot  which  you  are  reasonably  certain, 
and  as  others  show  up,  take  them  out.  Keep  cockerels 
with  the  pullets  rather  than  to  put  pullets  with  the 
cockerels. 

They  are  put  into  the  cockerel  house  which  has  been 
heavily  beaded  down  with  straw  under  the  roosts,  a 
narrow  board  being  tacked  to  the  edge  of  the  roosts  to 
keep  most  oi  the  straw  in  place.  It  the  weather  is  bad 
they  are  Kept  indoors;  but  in  any  event  they  are  not  let 
out  until  toward  noon  ol  the  day  alter  they  are  moved. 


WITH  4200  HENS  103 

Water  and  feed  is  provided  in  the  house  until  they  are 
turned  loose  in  the  early  morning. 

We  put  250  cockerels  into  each  9x10  compartment  of 
the  house.  The  first  few  evenings  we  make  sure  that  the 
straw  is  banked  up  in  the  corners  under  the  roosts  so 
they  cannot  crowd  and  pile  up ;  they  must  be  watched  in 
this  respect  for  several  nights,  until  they  resume  their 
roosting. 

The  further  treatment  of  the  cockerels  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  a  separate  chapter. 

Continuing  the  Brooder  House  Work 

Taking  out  the  cockerels  makes  room  in  the  brooder 
house  and  gives  the  remainder  a  better  chance.  If  the 
weather  is  bad  it  may  be  necessary  to  slightly  increase 
the  stove  heat  to  make  up  for  the  body  heat  lost  by  the  re- 
moval of  so  many  of  the  flock. 

No  change  is  made  in  the  feed  or  the  method  of  hand- 
ling the  chicks,  excepting  that  the  gradual  change  from 
chick  size  to  coarse  grain  is  continued  until  at  7  weeks 
the  fine  grain  is  entirely  replaced.  The  January  pullets 
are  taken  from  the  brooder  house  at  from  7  to  8  weeks, 
dependent  on  the  weather.  If  the  weather  is  good  we 
take  them  out  at  7,  otherwise  they  remain  until  8.  The 
March  pullets  remain  in  the  brooder  house  longer,  as  we 
do  not  have  room  for  them  until  the  summer  re-arrange- 
ment Of  the  laying  hens  is  made.  If  the  room  is  available 
they  can  be  removed  even  earlier  than  the  January  lot. 
We  put  in  higher  roosts  (in  the  brooder  houses)  at  8  or 
9  weeks,  spacing  them  8  or  10  inches  apart  and  about  18 
inches  irom  the  floor. 


104  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

The  stove  is  turned  off  at  about  7  weeks,  (this  applies 
to  the  March  hatches),  this  depending  again  on  the 
weather.  They  need  but  little  artificial  heat  at  night  in 
normal  weather  after  6  weeks.  We  taper  it  off  gradually, 
also  increasing  the  fresh  air  supply  by  using  the  upper 
slide  on  the  outlet  shaft. 

When  they  are  comfortable  at  night  without  the  stove 
we  start  the  stove  in  the  morning  before  turning  them 
outdoors  and  run  it  until  they  have  been  outdoors  and  in 
again  for  a  "warming-up"  after  tasting  the  outdoor  air. 
If  the  day  is  cloudy  or  chilly  the  stove  is  run  all  day, 
turned  low;  and  at  the  last  feed  time  it  is  turned  up  un- 
til they  have  settled  down  for  the  night  when  it  is  again 
turned  off.  This  continued  use  of  artificial  heat  is  neces- 
sary because  the  house  is  a  large  one  and  there  is  little 
chance  for  the  body  heat  of  the  birds  to  afford  any  rea- 
sonable degree  of  heat  to  the  comparatively  few  birds 
who  may  need  it  during  the  day  and  who  come  indoors 
to  find  it. 

The  third  division  of  the  yard  is  opened  to  the  March 
pullets  at  about  8  weeks. 

Taking  the  Pullets  From  the  Brooder  House 

We  put  the  January  pullets  directly  into  the  laying 
house.  The  yards  have  meantime  been  ploughed  and 
planted  to  barley  which  may  be  12  to  18  inches  high 
when  they  are  moved.  We  put  up  a  temporary  fence  of 
1^-inch  mesh  netting,  enclosing  a  space  the  width  of  the 
house  space  to  be  used  and  about  25  feet  deep.  This 
makes  it  easier  to  train  them  to  the  new  housing  place 
and  also  saves  trampling  of  the  green  barley.  If  we 


WITH  4200  HENS  105 

need  it  we  mow  the  barley  in  the  remainder  of  the  yard 
—it  will  grow  up  again  very  fast  at  that  time  of  the 
year. 

In  moving  the  pullets  care  must  be  exercised  or  some 
will  be  injured.  They  are  nervous  and  flighty  when  their 
regular  routine  is  interrupted  and  when  they  are  shut  in 
the  house  and  some  are  being  picked  up  and  put  into 
crates  the  others  are  liable  to  pile  up  in  the  corners,  some 
being  smothered.  The  best  plan  is  to  let  a  large  part  of 
the  flock  pass  outdoors,  keeping  one  or  two  hundred  in- 
side. A  panel  of  wire,  2  feet  high  and  5  feet  long,  cov- 
ered with  burlap  and  set  diagonally  in  one  corner  of  the 
house,  makes  a  good  catching  place.  A  few  can  be  driven 
into  it  at  a  time.  Meantime  we  keep  an  eye  out  for  a 
possible  piling-up  of  the  others — if  they  are  crowding  into 
the  other  corners  we  stir  them  up  before  going  to  work 
on  the  lot  behind  the  panel. 

Never  crowd  the  youngsters  in  the  crates  when  mov- 
ing them.  A  little  more  time  spent  at  it  is  a  good  invest- 
ment. We  always  put  them  directly  into  the  house  rather 
than  in  the  yard.  It  saves  a  lot  of  time,  work  and  worry 
in  the  evening;  they  are  determined  to  get  back  to  their 
old  roosting  quarters.  This  is  obviated  if  they  are  carried 
directly  into  the  new  house  and  are  kept  indoors  at  least 
until  the  next  day. 

We  put  the  whole  lot  from  a  brooder  house  into  a  fifty- 
foot  compartment  of  the  laying  house — usually  six  or 
seven  hundred.  A  special  set  ot  roosts  is  put  into  place 
under  the  dropping  boards.  These  roosts  are  made  of 
^x2  stuff,  set  6  inches  apart  on  cross  bars  of  1x3,  5  feet 
long.  They  are  hinged  to  the  back  wall  about  12  inches 


106  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

from  the  concrete  floor  with  supports  under  the  center 
and  near  the  front  end.  Two  sections  of  roosts  are  used, 
each  about  6  feet  long.  This  leaves  a  clear  space  between 
the  two  sections.  The  floor  is  bedded  down  heavily  with 
straw ;  near  the  back  wall  the  straw  is  packed  in  until  it 
is  flush  with  the  roosts.  We  usually  line  the  back  wall 
with  chunks  from  the  bales  and  pile  loose  straw  on  top 
of  these.  The  purpose  is  to  prevent  a  piling  up  under  the 
roosts  which  is  likely  to  occur  the  first  night  or  two. 
Chicks  seldom  take  to  the  roosts  immediately  when  they 
have  been  moved,  even  though  they  have  been  roosting. 

We  keep  them  in  the  house  for  a  full  day  after  moving 
them  to  let  them  get  acquainted  with  the  new  quarters; 
and  if  the  weather  is  bad  they  are  kept  indoors  several 
days.  An  exposure  to  severe  weather  is  extremely  bad 
policy  just  after  moving  a  lot  of  young  birds;  they  are 
nervous  and  excited  at  best  and  are  far  more  susceptible 
to  adverse  influences. 

The  awning  is  dropped  at  night;  and  if  it  is  very  cold 
(or  wet  and  cold),  we  hang  a  burlap  curtain  from  the 
dropboard  reaching  to  within  8  or  10  inches  of  the  floor. 
We  make  it  a  point  to  be  with  them  at  bedtime  the  first 
night;  they  have  come  to  know  us,  and  in  their  strange 
quarters  it  seems  to  have  a  quieting  effect  to  be  arouna. 
Vv  e  look  in  on  them  at  the  7  o  clock  round ;  if  the  curtain 
was  dropped  and  they  seem  to  be  too  warm  it  is  partially 
or  completely  raised — as  seems  best.  We  look  in  again 
just  Deiore  our  own  bedtime  and  make  such  readjust- 
ment as  may  be  necessary.  This  extra  watcniulness  is 
not  necessary  alter  a  lew  nights,  when  tney  have  grown 
accustomed  to  the  new  piace. 


WITH  4200  HENS  ,   107 

The  main  feed  troughs  are  cut  off,  either  by  removal 
(the  covers  being  hung  to  the  outside  wall),  or  by  tack- 
ing a  piece  of  j^x3  stuff  in  the  openings  both  inside  and 
out.  The  mash  is  fed  in  troughs  made  of  a  6-inch  bot- 
tom with  ^x4  pieces  for  the  sides,  end  pieces  6  inches 
high,  and  a  piece  of  1x4  across  the  top.  Troughs  are  set 
both  in  and  outside  the  house.  Troughs  of  this  same  size 
are  used  for  the  March  pullets  in  the  brooder  houses  at 
from  7  to  8  weeks,  and  also  for  the  cockerels  when  they 
reach  that  age.  It  is  advisable  to  continue  the  use  of  two 
or  three  of  the  smaller  sized  troughs  for  a  few  days  after 
the  change  is  made — this  applies  at  all  stages. 

The  regular  house  water  pots  are  used  after  a  few  days. 
It  is  good  practice  to  set  one  or  two  of  the  old  style  foun- 
tains inside  the  house,  on  platforms,  just  after  the  birds 
are  moved.  The  pots  are  cleaned  with  a  brush  every  day. 

The  feed  is  continued  as  before.  The  pan  or  box  of 
shell  and  grit  must  not  be  overlooked. 

When  cockerels  are  spotted  they  are  picked  up  prompt- 
ly and  removed  to  the  cockerel  house. 

As  soon  as  an  appreciable  number,  say  half,  of  the 
birds  are  found  on  the  dropboard  roosts  at  night — if  they 
do  not  take  to  the  dropboard  compartments  before  they 
begin  to  look  crowded  underneath — the  lower  section  is 
closed  oft  and  ail  are  iorced  into  the  upper  section.  This 
is  accomplished  by  the  use  oi  a  set  oi  sloping  lath  ladders 
set  tignt  together,  lastened  to  the  front  dropooard  sup- 
port oy  loops  ol  wire  hung  on  nails.  The  laths  are  nailed 
to  the  supports  not  more  than  lj/2  inches  apart  and  the 
whole  set  is  ntted  periectly  both  on  the  edges  where  the 
dmerent  sections  meet  and  on  the  rloor.  Care  should  be 


108    .  HOW  I  MADE  $10;000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

exercised  to  have  no  opening  large  enough  for  a  bird  to 
slip  through.  With  the  use  of  these  ladders  no  trouble  is 
had  in  getting  the  birds  to  go  "upstairs."  If  a  few  stay 
in  the  straw  at  the  foot  of  the  ladders  we  do  not  disturb 
them — they  will  go  up  in  a  night  or  two.  But  we  make 
sure  that  none  lie  on  the  trough  steps  or  in  other  out-of- 
the-way  places.  In  a  week  or  ten  days  the  ladders  may 
safely  be  removed,  and  the  underneath  roosts  are  taken 
out  at  the  same  time.  A  ladder  is  left  in  the  center  of 
each  16-foot  section. 

As  soon  as  the  birds  attain  a  proper  size  so  they  cannot 
crawl  through  the  3-inch  openings,  the  main  troughs  are 
put  into -use;  but  several  of  the  6-inch  troughs  are  con- 
tinued in  use  for  a  few  days  when  the  change  is  made. 

When  the  March  pullets  are  put  into  the  laying  house 
(if  they  are  from  10  to  12  weeks  old,  as  they  are  with  us), 
they  are  put  directly  on  the  dropboards  by  use  of  the  lath 
ladders.  They  are  kept  indoors  two  days  after  moving  if 
the  weather  permits.  They  can't  be  kept  indoors  that 
long  if  it  is  very  warm.  The  same  trough  and  yard  ar- 
"rangement  is  made  as  was  made  with  the  January  lots. 
If  they  are  to  be  moved  at  the  earlier  stage,  6  to  8  weeks, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  use  the  same  under-the-drop- 
board  roosting  arrangement  as  was  used  with  the  Jan- 
uary birds. 

Watch  the  birds  carefully  when  you  remove  them  from 
the  brooder  house  and  do  not  expose  them  to  chilling 
weather.  Bear  in  mind  they  no  longer  have  a  warm  room 
to  run  to.  If  they  have  been  turned  outdoors  and  rain  or 
a  cold  wind  comes  up  better  take  the  time  to  herd  them 
into  the  house.  They  are  at  one  of  the  susceptible  stages 


WITH  4200  HENS  109 

of  development  and  if  you  let  them  get  soggy  wet  and 
chill  you  will  surely  have  a  run  of  colds.  Do  not  let  them 
outdoors  very  early  in  the  morning.  Give  them  a  chance 
to  have  their  morning  drink  and  to  eat  some  mash  first. 

Being  able  to  give  the  young  pullets  this  extra  protec- 
tion with  food,  water  and  scratch  quarters  available,  is 
what  makes  the  use  of  laying-house  quarters  superior  to 
the  portable  colony  house  system. 

Should  colds  develop  in  spite  of  your  care,  give  them 
the  salts  and  tonic  treatment,  the  salts  one  day  and  the 
tonic  twice,  a  day  apart ;  if  they  are  8  weeks  old  or  older, 
double  the  dose  both  of  salts  and  tonic.  If  the  colds 
continue  give  them  this  treatment  each  week ;  and  in  case 
of  a  severe  attack  continue  the  tonic  steadily  for  a  week 
or  ten  days. 

Should  the  birds  take  to  piling  up  at  night  (under  the 
dropboards),  put  on  the  curtain  when  they  go  to  bed  and 
raise  it  part  ways  on  your  last  inspection.  The  curtain 
makes  of  the  compartment  what  is  practically  a  closed 
box  and  several  hundred  birds  in  it  will  devleop  a  great 
deal  of  heat  in  a  very  short  time.  The  opening  at  the 
bottom  of  the  curtain  will  allow  a  sufficient  supply  of 
fresh  air  for  an  hour  or  two.  But  there  will  not  be  suffi- 
cient air  for  the  whole  night.  The  closed  curtain  is  used 
simply  to  warm  up  the  compartment  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible; and  warming  it  up  quickly  will  induce  them  to 
spread  out  before  they  sweat. 

The  January  pullets  are  kept  on  the  chick  mash  until 
they  are  at  least  4  months  old;  and  if  they  are  well  de- 
veloped and  many  full-blown  combs  are  in  evidence  at 


110  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

that  time,  the  chick  mash  is  continued  until  5  months. 
Regular  laying  mash  is  then  substituted. 

The  March  pullets  are  given  the  laying  mash  at  from 
10  to  12  weeks,  depending  on  the  weather  and  their  de- 
velopment. If  they  have  grown  fast  and  cool  weather 
has  prevailed  (which  has  a  tendency  to  stimulate  growth 
and  development)  they  are  continued  on  the  chick  mash 
until  12  weeks;  but  if  it  has  been  been  hot  at  intervals 
(or  steadily)  the  birds  will  be  slower,  and  they  are  then 
given  the  heavier  mash  at  10  weeks. 

Culling  the  Pullets 

We  have  learned  by  experience  and  by  observation  to 
go  very  slow  on  discarding  and  selling  so-called  "cull" 
pullets.  One  can  run  up  their  production  per  bird  by 
making  a  close  culling,  taking  out  and  getting  rid  of  all 
the  undeveloped  birds  at  from  4  to  5  months;  but  we 
are  not  so  certain  that  it  is  a  profitable  thing  to  do.  For 
several  years  we  culled  them  in  this  manner ;  but  instead 
of  getting  rid  of  the  culls  we  kept  them  in  a  separate 
pen,  and  by  far  the  larger  part  of  these  "culls"  were  after- 
wards retained.  One  such  lot,  taken  from  March  hatches, 
outlayed  the  main  flock  throughout  the  high  priced  egg 
season,  and  never  did  we  find  we  would  be  warranted  m 
disposing  of  the  entire  lot. 

A  case  of  mistaken  culling  that  came  directly  to  the 
writer's  notice  was  one  where  a  friend  of  his  bought  75 
cull  pullets  from  a  dealer  who  obtained  them  from  one 
of  the  large  egg-farms ;  they  were  bought  on  the  writer's 
advice.  The  purchaser  knew  how  to  handle  chickens. 
This  particular  lot  came  into  laying  within  two  weeks 


WITH  4200  HENS  111 

of  the  time  he  got  them  and  they  made  a  flock  average  of 
better  than  170  eggs  in  their  first  year — which  is  rather 
good  for  culls,  especially  since  only  one  of  the  birds  was 
discarded. 

We  take  out  none  but  the  plainest  sort  of  culls — birds 
that  are  far  undersized,  scraggly,  thin,  draggy  specimens. 
Anyone  can  spot  these.  They  are  usually  an  eyesore  in 
the  flock.  Others  that  are  lagging  in  development  we 
segregate  and  keep  to  themselves  for  a  few  weeks,  feed- 
ing them  as  we  feed  the  broiler  cockerels.  This  will  bring 
them  out  if  there  is  anything  to  bring  out.  If  they  do 
not  respond  to  it  we  get  rid  of  them.  .We  think  this  plan 
is  well  worth  following. 

These  slower  birds  may  not  equal  the  high-laying 
record ;  but  if  they  pay  their  feed  and  as  little  as  50c 
profit  per  bird  we  have  made  money  by  the  transaction. 
If  they  are  constitutionally  weak  they  will  go  down  in 
the  first  moult,  if  we  do  not  cull  them  out  meantime,  so 
they  are  no  detriment  to  our  breeding  plans.  It  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  band  them  if  one  wished  to  be 
absolutely  sure  of  their  proving  no  detriment. 

The  matter  of  culling  will  be  discussed  further  in  a 
subsequent  chapter  devoted  to  that  subject. 

Feeding  and  Handling  the  Cockerels 

As  our  cockerels  for  breeding  are  taken  from  the  Jan- 
uary hatches  we  do  not  force  the  January  lots  at  the 
start.  They  are  continued  on  dry  chick  mash,  with 
sprouted  oats  fed  at  9  to  10  a.  m.,  and  grain  in  the  even- 
ing. Green  stuff  is  fed,  of  course,  and  a  pan  of  shell  and 
grit  is  kept  in  each  compartment  of  the  yard.  At  8  or  9 


WITH  4200  HENS  113 

weeks  we  make  the  first  segregation  for  breeding  stock. 
The  best  looking,  active,  vigorous  birds,  those  that  stand 
out  in  the  flock,  are  put  aside,  in  a  separate  compartment. 
At  this  first  segregation  we  take  out  about  three  times 
the  number  we  are  likely  to  need.  These  are  continued 
on  the  same  plan  of  feeding. 

The  remainder,  as  well  as  all  of  the  March  cockerels, 
are  forced  for  broilers.  They  are  given  a  light  feed  of 
grain  early  in  the  morning;  sprouted  oats  at  about  9; 
moistened  mash  at  10  (fed  crumbly,  not  soggy)  ;  greens 
at  noon ;  a  light  feed  of  grain  at  3  to  4,  followed  by  wet 
mash  within  an  hour.  The  quantity  of  all  feed  is  gauged 
carefully  from  day  to  day,  an  effort  being  made  to  feed 
just  what  they  will  clean  up  in  about  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes. Ample  trough  space  is  provided  so  that  all  tne 
birds  can  find  a  place.  We  use  the  4-inch  troughs  at  first 
and  change  to  the  6-inch  size  as  soon  as  the  birds  are 
large  enough  to  eat  from  them  comfortably.  We  keep 
them  crowded ;  there  is  little  room  to  spare  either  in  the 
house  or  yard. 

They  are  sold  off  just  as  soon  as  the  market  will  take 
them.  We  sell  a  great  many  at  from  £4  to  one  pound,  and 
but  few  are  carried  to  \l/2  pounds  excepting  when  there 
is  a  glut  in  the  market  and  we  are  compelled  to  run  them 
up  higher.  This  happens  at  times — always  to  our  regret. 
With  us  it  is  no  question  of  whether  or  not  it  is  profitable 
to  feed  them  for  the  higher  weight.  Our  object  is  to  get 
rid  of  them  as  soon  as  we  can.  We  have  our  hands  full, 
and  we  think  we  make  more  money  by  giving  our  avail- 
able time  to  the  pullets. 

A  beginner,  in  his  first  season,  with  nothing  but  the 


114  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

young  chicks  on  his  hands  and  ample  housing  space  avail- 
able and  ready  would  be  warranted  in  carrying  the  broil- 
ers long  enough  to  make  the  1^-pound  weight  under  the 
market  conditions  prevailing  in  1918-19.  But  a  Leghorn 
should  not  be  carried  beyond  that  point.  They  make  the 
1  ^2-pound  stage  more  quickly,  on  the  average,  than  any 
other  breed,  but  beyond  it  they  fall  back  by  comparison 
— almost  any  heavy  breed  will  make  the  2-pound  stage 
in  less  time  than  a  Leghorn  will.  Furthermore  in  the 
ordinary  market  any  other  breed  is  given  the  preference 
over  a  Leghorn  at  2  pounds  and  upward. 

There  are  more  culls  in  the  cockerels  as  a  rule,  more 
thin  and  "wasty"  specimens,  than  among  the  pullets. 
These  should  be  segregated  and  sold  as  a  separate  lot  and 
as  soon  as  ever  a  buyer  can  be  found  who  will  take  them. 
Price  is  no  object.  Feeding  cull  cockerels  is  about  as 
easy  a  way  to  lose  money  as  the  writer  knows  of. 

Marketing  Broilers 

In  marketing  a  lot  of  cockerels  we  make  it  a  rule  to 
grade  them  by  weight,  putting  the  one  pounders  in  one 
yard,  the  1^4  pound  in  another,  and  the  \l/2  pound  in  still 
another.  It  pays  to  do  this.  Gauging  the  weight  is  a 
matter  of  experience.  The  only  way  to  learn  is  to  have 
a  small  family  scale  for  the  purpose.  Two  persons  can 
handle  the  work  to  better  advantage  than  one  working 
alone.  Shut  the  first  lot  in  the  house,  the  second  lot  out 
of  the  house.  Take  the  scale  into  the  house  along  with  a 
short  hook.  Pick  up  the  largest  looking  bird,  weigh  him, 
clip  his  tail  and  turn  him  loose  again.  Use  him  as  a 
sample  to  guide  your  further  choice.  Birds  that  weigh 
up  can  be  put  into  the  yard  through  the  slide  door ;  those 


WITH  4200  HENS  115 

under  weight  can  be  put  into  the  next  compartment 
through  the  partition  door;  and  the  very  small  ones 
should  be  put  into  a  crate  standing  outside. 

This  is  the  easiest  way  we  know  of  to  make  the  grad- 
ing. If  a  bird  is  unruly  and  refuses  to  lie  on  the  scale, 
fold  the  wings,  one  over  the  other,  passing  the  joint  of 
one  wing  clear  round  the  other  wing.  When  you  have 
graded  a  few  hundred  in  this  manner  you  will  soon  learri 
to  pick  them  out  without  separate  weighing,  and  you 
can  then  use  a  crate  in  the  yard  with  a  platform  scale 
just  outside  it,  weighing  six  or  more  at  a  time. 

The  grading  should  be  done  early  in  the  morning  be- 
fore the  birds  have  filled  their  crops.  This  will  save  you  a 
lot  of  dissatisfaction  in  dealing  with  your  buyer.  It  is 
useless  to  try  and  sell  a  lot  of  feed  (inside  the  birds)  at 
broiler  prices;  and  if  you  are  shipping  them,  while  it  is 
good  practice  to  give  them  some  feed  before  sending  them 
on  the  journey,  to  prevent  undue  shrinkage  en  route,  be 
sure  to  allow  for  the  weight  of  the  feed  in  counting  what 
you  are  likely  to  get  for  them,  as  it  will  be  dissipated  be- 
fore they  reach  the  marketman;  otherwise  you  will  be 
like  the  farmer  who  said  of  his  pig  that  it  did  not  weigh 
as  much  as  he  thought  it  would  and  he  did  not  expect 
it  to. 

Cockerels  Intended  for  Breeders 

The  cockerels  retained  for  possible  breeders  are  given 
the  use  of  the  large  yard  as  well  as  the  small  ones.  The 
large  yard  has  been  planted  to  green  st*ff  previously  and 
they  are  turned  into  it.  They  are  continued  on  chick 
mash,  grain  and  sprouted  oats  until  they  are  about  b 
months  old  when  hen  mash  is  substituted.  Meantime  we 


116  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

pick  up  any  that  do  not  measure  up  to  standard  and  put 
them  in  with  the  younger  broilers  for  market.  This 
process  of  elimination  is  continued  until  none  but  the 
choicest  specimens  remain.  If  we  have  more  than  we 
need  they  are  sold  for  breeding  purposes. 

They  become  very  troublesome  at  4  months  of  age. 
There  will  be  a  lot  of  chasing  and  tearing  around.  Some 
will  go  down  in  distress  and  if  they  are  not  removed  they 
will  be  killed.  We  keep  a  long-distance  ear  open  at  all 
times  and  at  signs  of  a  specially  riotous  time  we  investi- 
gate and  remove  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  is  death  to  a 
hen  or  pullet  that  is  permitted  to  remain  in  the  cockerel 
yards  if  one  should  fly  the  fences. 

Some  of  the  birds  are  likely  to  be  kept  in  the  houses  by 
the  bosses  and  will  suffer  for  food  and  water.  We  make 
it  a  rule  to  turn  them  all  out  of  the  house  early  in  the 
morning,  closing  the  slide  doors  to  keep  them  out,  and 
leaving  the  door  closed  for  an  hour  or  two.  They  are 
less  troublesome  in  the  morning;  and  in  this  manner  they 
are  sure  to  get  feed  and  water.  In  cool  weather  this  can 
be  done  again  in  the  evening. 

We  tried  a  plan  once  suggested  of  keeping  a  few  old 
cock  birds  with  the  young  cockerels  to  act  as  policeman, 
putting  them  in  early,  while  the  cockerels  were  still  quite 
young.  This  scheme  worked  beautifully.  The  old  fel- 
lows kept  the  peace  and  made  the  youngsters  behave, 
until  one  bright  day  the  youngsters  "rushed"  the  old  fel- 
lows and  answering  the  riot  call  we  found  the  old  men 
down  on  their  knees  in  different  corners;  it  looked  as 
though  a  concerted  plan  had  been  agreed  upon  for  every 
single  one  of  the  old  cocks  was  utterly  whipped. 


WITH  4200  HENS  117 

A  brother  poultryman  recently  suggested  planting  milo 
maize  or  egyptian  corn  in  the  large  yard,  putting  it  in 
rows  close  together  and  sowed  thickly.  This  when 
grown  forms  a  heavy  thicket  which  would  afford  protec- 
tion. We  shall  try  it  another  season.  We  welcome  and 
appreciate  any  suggestion  that  might  lead  to  easier  con- 
ditions among  the  breeding  cockerels.  It  might  fairly, 
truthfully  and  slangfully  be  said  "they  are  a  tough  lot, 
and  the  better  they  are  the  tougher." 

Housing  the  Layers 

Our  laying  houses  are  intended  to  house  10  birds  to 
the  running  foot — 500  to  each  50-foot  compartment.  If 
it  happens  that  we  have  550  pullets  in  one  brooder  house 
lot  we  put  them  into  the  one  compartment.  After  they 
begin  to  lay,  when  they  have  become  firmly  established 
in  their  roosting  quarters,  we  open  two  or  even  three 
compartments  and  yards  into  one  and  plant  first  one  yard 
then  another  to  barley,  shutting  it  off  until  the  green  stuff 
is  6  to  8  inches  high.  The  birds  are  then  turned  into  it 
and  another  section  is  planted.  In  this  way  growing 
green  stuff  is  had  in  the  yards  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
season.  It  is  not  practicable  to  grow  anything  in  the 
yards  in  our  section  in  July  and  August ;  where  it  can  be 
done  it  might  very  profitably  be  continued  throughout 
the  year. 

We  do  not  mix  birds  hatched  in  different  months.  The 
January  birds  are  kept  together,  likewise  those  hatched 
in  March.  It  was  the  following  of  such  a  system  that  en- 
abled us  to  determine  the  relative  earnings  of  birds 
hatched  in  different  months. 


118  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

During  the  late  fall,  throughout  the  winter  and  early 
in  the  spring  the  outside  doors  of  the  watershed  are 
closed  after  the  birds  have  gone  to  roost;  and  they  are 
not  reopened  until  7  or  8  o'clock  next  morning.  During 
heavy  rains  they  are  kept  indoors  all  day. 

Feeding  Laying  Hens 

The  layers  have  dry  mash  before  them  at  all  times. 
Our  standard  formula  of  mash  for  laying  hens  follows: 

Pure  Wheat  Bran 640  pounds 

Wheat  Shorts  or  low  grade  flour....  320  pounds 

Ground  Hulled  Barley 200  pounds 

Yellow  Feed  Meal  (Corn  meal) 300  pounds 

Croley's  High  Protein  Meat 300  pounds 

Croley's  dried  green  bone 100  pounds 

Linseed  Oilcake  Meal 50  pounds 

Fine  Charcoal  50  pounds 

Salt — finely  sifted 20  pounds 


Total  mixture 1980  pounds 

The  meat  product  designated  contains  75%  of  whale 
meat  and  25%  fish  meal. 

The  mash  is  mixed  for  us  at  the  mill ;  we  supervise  the 
operation.  It  is  put  up  in  80-pound  bags,  which  we  find 
the  most  convenient  size  for  handling.  It  is  carried  to 
the  troughs  in  the  bags.  This  has  been  found  an  easier 
and  quicker  method  of  handling  than  by  loading  on  a 
wheelbarrow  or  cart  which  would  be  hard  pushing  or 
pulling  through  soft  ground,  and  our  ground  is  always 
soft. 


WITH  4200  HENS  119 

At  from  8  to  8:30  A.  M.  sprouted  oats  are  fed,  at  the 
rate  of  1  gallon  to  100  birds.  This  is  fed  in  the  yards, 
excepting  in  very  bad  weather  when  it  is  fed  in  the  litter. 

When  the  oats  are  fed  the  mash  troughs  are  looked  over 
and  any  needing  replenishments  are  looked  after  when 
the  oats  feeding  is  over.  The  troughs  are  filled  to  within 
about  one  inch  of  the  top;  if  it  is  run  higher  than  this 
there  will  be  waste.  At  intervals  the  mash  remaining  in 
the  trough  is  pulled  into  one  corner  with  a  shovel  or  a 
hoe,  to  prevent  its  becoming  stale.  A  card  record  is 
tacked  to  the  wall  in  each  mash  storage  place,  with  a 
column  designated  for  each  compartment  of  the  house. 
As  the  mash  is  carried  out  it  is  recorded  in  the  appro- 
priate column.  This' enables  us  to  determine  the  weekly 
mash  consumption  of  each  compartment. 

Greens  are  fed  either  early  in  the  morning  or  at  noon. 
We  use  alfalfa  or  green  barley,  run  through  a  feed  cutter 
which  is  driven  by  a  small  motor;  and  for  a  large  part 
of  the  year  we  have  a  supply  of  clover  lawn  clippings. 

Coarse  shell  is  kept  in  a  box  in  the  water  shed  and  at 
intervals  coarse  granite  grit  is  added  to  it. 

Grain  is  fed  at  from  3  to  4  P.  M.,  according  to  season. 
The  quantity  is  varied  according  to  mash  consumption. 
We  aim  to  feed  half  and  half  of  mash  and  grain,  the 
weight  of  the  dry  oats  used  being  counted  as  grain.  The 
schedule  of  grain  quantities  for  the  different  compart- 
ments is  made  up  once  each  week.  If  a  certain  compart- 
ment has  taken  700  pounds  of  mash  during  the  week  that 
compartment  is  given  100  pounds  of  grain  daily  the  WCCK 
following.  This  while  not  absolutely  correct  is  close 
enough  for  practical  purposes. 


WITH  4200  HENS  121 

During  bad  weather  when  the  birds  are  kept  indoors 
the  grain  is  fed  in  the  litter,  otherwise  it  is  fed  in  the 
yards.  During  the  dry  summer  and  fall  months  the 
yards  are  wet  down  thoroughly  at  regular  intervals  to 
avoid  'dust  and  its  consequent  dust-colds  and  throat  irri- 
tation. We  tried  feeding  part  of  the  grain  in  the  litter 
throughout  the  year  but  this  had  to  be  abandoned.  It  is 
impossible  in  this  dry  climate  to  avoid  heavy  clouds  of 
dust  rising  when  hundreds  of  birds  are  feeding  and 
scratching  indoors. 

During  the  winter  months,  when  wet,  chilly  mornings 
prevail,  a  light  feed  of  grain  is  scattered  in  the  litter  after 
the  birds  have  gone  to  roost.  This  starts  them  working 
early  in  the  morning.  The  air  is  usually  moist  at  that 
season  and  the  dust  raised  is  not  heavy  enough  to  be 
detrimental. 

Beginning  about  September  15th  and  continuing  until 
about  the  middle  of  December  the  moulting  hens  are 
given  a  special  mash  feed  immediately  after  the  grain  is 
fed.  Special  low  troughs  are  set  in  the  yards  and  a  small 
quantity  of  mash  is  carried  to  them  in  buckets.  This 
mash  is  wet  down  lightly  with  a  sprinkling  can  of  water 
into  which  Douglas  Mixture  has  been  added  at  the  rate  of 
one  tablespoonful  to  each  quart  of  water.  A  measuring 
cup  is  used  holding  just  the  proper  quantity  for  a  sprink- 
ling can  full.  Only  so  much  mash  is  put  out  as  will  be 
cleaned  up  before  the  birds  go  to  roost. 

We  use  the  5-gallon  oil  cans,  converted  into  pails,  for 
feeding  the  sprouted  oats  and  grain.  The  weight  of  a 
pail  full  of  grain  being  ascertained  it  is  an  easy  matter 
to  gauge  the  quantity  that  should  be  put  into  each  pail  to 


122  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

make  up  the  proper  amount  for  each  yard  of  birds. 
When  the  mash  is  checked  out  at  the  end  of  the  week  and 
the  pen-quantity  of  grain  is  ascertained,  it  is  noted  on  a 
card  tacked  to  the  wall  and  the  pails  are  filled  each  day 
according  to  that  record. 

The  grain  used  is  varied  according  to  the  market  prices 
of  different  kinds.  We  try  always  to  feed  some  wheat 
and  some  yellow  corn  and  we  avoid  the  use  of  seed  bar- 
ley (with  the  hulls  on  it),  when  we  can  do  so  without 
running  the  grain  cost  too  high.  Wheat  and  corn  are  the 
standard  of  price  with  us  and  we  value  other  grains  ac- 
cording to  their  supposed  feeding  value  as  compared  with 
these.  For  instance,  if  seed  barley  is  more  than  80%  of 
the  cost  of  wheat  and  the  wheat  can  be  had,  we  buy  the 
wheat;  if  the  sorghums — milo  maize,  egyptian  corn, 
kaffir  corn,  etc. — are  more  than  80%  of  the  price  of  yellow 
corn,  we  buy  and  use  the  yellow  corn.  But  we  try  at  all 
times  to  have  at  least  3  grains  in  the  mixture. 

At  the  present  time  we  are  mixing  400  pounds  of 
wheat,  100  pounds  of  yellow  corn  and  130  pounds  of 
egyptian  corn.  Until  the  barley  market  was  allowed  to 
run  wild — at  the  time  this  is  written  barley  is  quoted  us 
in  large  quantities  at  $3.50  per  hundred  and  we  are  buy- 
ing a  good  grade  of  wheat  for  $3.60 — until  this  occurred 
we  used  110  pounds  of  re-cleaned  seed  barley  in  the  mix- 
ture. We  also  had  milo  maize  in  the  mixture — 13Q 
pounds  of  it.  It  is  now  quoted  at  but  a  few  cents  below 
yellow  corn,  so  we  abandoned  it. 

In  less  troublous  days  we  fed  a  straight  mixture  of  2 
parts  of  wheat  and  1  part  of  yellow  corn ;  and  if  a  reason- 
able price  level  is  ever  established  again  we  would  return 
to  that  standard  mixture. 


WITH  4200  HENS  123 

The  grain  is  mixed  on  the  concrete  floor  in  the  teed- 
house  and  it  is  put  directly  from  the  floor  into  the  pails, 
the  remainder  of  one  mix  lying  there  until  the  next  day 
when  it  is  used  up  and  a  fresh  mix  is  made. 

We  use  nothing  but  sweet,  sound,  well  matured  grain ; 
under  no  circumstances  do  we  buy  or  use  damaged  stuff. 
Corn  must  be  watched  especially — it  must  smell  and  tasie 
sweet.  Mouldy  feed  of  any  kind  is  extremely  expensive 
chicken  feed.  It  not  only  hurts  the  birds,  often  causing 
diarrhoea,  but  it  checks  the  egg  flow.  We  are  about 
ready  to  admit  that  a  poultryman  could  better  afford  to 
starve  his  birds  for  three  or  four  days  than  to  give  them 
mouldy  feed. 

The  grain  is  mixed  and  the  pails  are  filled  and  set  in 
place,  ready  for  feeding,  as  soon  as  the  early  morning 
work  is  over.  There  is  always  time  to  spare  at  that  period 
of  the  day.  During  the  dry  season  the  pails  are  carried 
to  the  several  gates  and  are  covered  over  to  keep  wild 
birds  out  of  the  grain.  When  feeding  time  comes  there 
is  no  delay,  and  the  actual  feeding  takes  but  a  very  short 
time.  The  pails  are  carried  into  the  yards  and  one  is 
tilted  under  the  arm  and  the  grain  is  spilled  out  in  a  thin 
stream.  The  aim  is  to  move  as  quickly  as  possible  so 
that  all  of  the  birds  may  have  an  equal  chance,  and  to 
make  as  long  a  stream  as  possible.  In  the  larger  yards 
two  men  usually  work  together  and  a  double  stream  is 
run  out.  With  the  system  we  employ  it  is  surprising  how 
quickly  a  flock  of  four  or  five  thousand  birds  can  be  fed. 

W^e  make  it  a  rule  never  to  deviate  from  the  feeding 
plan — we  start  at  the  same  yard  each  day  and  the  round 
is  always  identical.  It  makes  the  birds  nervous  to  feed 


124  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

on  a  helter-skelter  plan,  starting  here  one  day,  there  the 
next. 

We  feed  by  the  clock  and  vary  the  time  with  the 
weather.  As  the  seasons  change,  making  it  necessary  to 
feed  earlier  or  later,  we  advance  or  drop  back  a  few  min- 
utes each  day  until  the  proper  hour  is  reached.  The  flock 
should  not  be  kept  standing  at  the  fence  for  an  hour  or 
two — until  you  return  from  a  visit,  perhaps.  You  are 
losing  money  every  minute  they  stand  there,  for  a  stand- 
ing hen  spells  a  standing  loss ;  your  money-maker  is 
moving. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  keep  the  birds  indoors  the 
feeding  is  much  slower  as  the  grain  must  then  be  scat- 
tered widely  because  of  limited  floor  space.  This  cannot 
be  avoided.  The  change  always  affects  the  egg  yield,  as 
does  a  sudden  change  in  the  weather ;  it  is  simply  a  case 
of  the  choice  of  two  evils. 

The  actual  feeding  of  the  oats,  greens  and  grain,  is 
never  interrupted  once  it  has  been  started.  We  do  not 
stop  to  pick  up  an  egg  that  lies  in  the  yard  or  a  bird  that 
is  out  of  condition — such  things  are  attended  to  when  the 
feeding  is  finished.  Nor  do  we  allow  strangers  to  crowd 
the  fences,  let  alone  enter  the  yards  when  the  birds  are 
feeding.  Ladies  with  violent  clothes  or  fancy  parasols 
or  even  ordinary  umbrellas  (carried  open),  frolicsome 
children,  playful  dogs — all  of  these  are  barred  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  houses  and  yards.  Young  pullets  are  espe- 
cially susceptible.  An  open  red  parasol  once  gave  us 
several  hours'  work  gathering  a  flock  of  young  pullets 
from  the  tops  of  houses  and  the  neighbors'  premises. 

We  always  call  the  birds  when  feeding  so  as  to  round 


WITH  4200  HENS  125 

up  any  strays  that  may  be  working  in  the  house.  So  far 
as  the  birds  are  concerned  it  makes  no  difference  what 
your  call  may  be,  whether  a  verse  from  the  Bible  or  a  bit 
of  profanity,  so  that  it  is  the  same  call  all  the  time.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  the  writer  talks  to  (or  at?)  the  birds  from 
the  time  they  are  hatched.  We  think  they  understand 
the  spirit  from  the  tone.  Going  through  the  houses  at 
night  we  can  start  one  lot  after  another  to  answering  a 
softly  spoken  greeting.  The  habit  is  worth  while  when  a 
riot  breaks  out  in  the  flock  at  night,  as  it  will  at  times. 
The  writer  can  open  a  compartment  door  wherein  the 
birds  are  in  full  cry  and  quiet  them  with  a  few  words ; 
and  if  it  breaks  out  again  we  wander  around  rather  care- 
fully after  making  sure  that  our  shooting  irons  are  really 
loaded. 

The  hens  in  the  broody  coops  are  given  no  mash ; 
sprouted  oats,  greens  and  grain  are  fed  them  on  the  reg- 
ular rounds. 

Cost  of  Feeding  a  Hen 

The  table  following  shows  the  month  by  month  cost 
of  feeding  a  hen  on  our  farm  during  1913  and  1918.  The 
comparison  is  interesting.  1913  1918 

January    15  l/3c  18  3/4c 

February    15  1/4  19  3/4 

March     13  20  1/2 

April    131/3  21 

May    13  1/2  22  1/2 

June     142/5  20  1/4 

July     14  19  1/2 

August    13  1/3  161/2 

September     10  1/2  16  1/4 

October    13  1/2  171/4 

November     12  1/2  17  3/4 

December    14  1/4  20  2/5 

Totals    $1.63  1/10   $2.29  4/10 


WITH  4200  HENS  127 

The  term  "Feed"  as  used  in  this  connection  is  a  mis- 
nomer to  this  extent — we  include  the  cost  of  disinfec- 
tants and  litter  used. 

Allowance  must  be  made  for  the  fact  that  we  buy  in 
large  quantities.  But  we  do  not  speculate  on  the  grain 
market — our  feed  is  bought  from  month  to  month  as 
needed. 

Sprouting  Oats 

The  oats  are  soaked  in  wooden  pails  overnight  and  are 
then  spread  in  wooden  boxes  having  sides  and  ends  .6 
inches  high.  In  cold  weather  the  grain  is  piled  up  in 
one  end  of  the  box  and  is  heavily  blanketed  with  sacks 
at  night,  the  boxes  resting  flat  on  the  ground.  It  must  be 
kept  moist  but  not  soggy-wet.  The  box  should  be  set 
out  of  level  so  the  surplus  water  will  drain  off.  The  grain 
is  stirred  up  each  day.  When  the  sprouts  begin  to  show 
it  is  thinned  out  by  spreading  it  in  the  box.  In  warn? 
weather  it  is  piled  up  about  3  inches  high  at  the  start  and 
is  gradually  spread  out.  The  grain  is  always  covered 
over  with  burlap  which  is  kept  moist.  The  boxes  are 
raised  from  the  ground  during  warm  weather  and  are 
sheltered  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 

Care  must  be  exercised  to  keep  the  grain  from  heating 
and  spoiling.  Nothing  short  of  experience  will  demon- 
strate how  long  it  may  lay  and  how  thickly  it  may  be 
kept.  In  normal  spring  weather  we  allow  it  to  lay  about  3 
days  from  the  time  it  is  put  into  the  boxes.  If  a  lot  "goes 
bad,"  in  which  event  it  will  either  show  green  mould  or 
become  slimy,  with  a  disagreeable  sour  odor,  it  is  thrown 
out.  Spraying  the  boxes  at  intervals  with  the  regular 


128  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

spraying  material  is  good  practice.    We  always  have  one 
box  empty  and  drying  out. 

The  use  of  sprouted  oats  is  not  a  necessity.  We  go  to 
the  extra  trouble  because  the  birds  relish  the  feed;  it  is 
a  palatable  variety  and  anything  of  the  kind  is  a  benefit. 
It  has  been  said  by  men  of  scientific  trend  of  mind  that 
sprouted  oats  are  rich  in  the  digestive  agent,  vitamen. 
This  may  or  may  not  be  so — it  is  entirely  beyond  our 
limited  mentality.  We  feed  it  for  the  reason  given. 

Water  and  Care  of  Water  Pots 

We  use  two  one-gallon  stone  water  jars  in  the  water 
shed  of  each  50-foot  compartment.  These  are  fed  by  self- 
regulating  float  valves.  A  faucet  is  installed  in  each 
water  shed  for  use  in  cleaning  the  pots,  watering  the 
broody  hens,  and  wetting  down  the  yards.  The  water 
pots  are  scrubbed  with  a  coarse  brush  every  day,  usually 
just  before  or  just  after  noon.  We  think  it  important 
that  this  be  done.  Particles  of  dry  mash  adhering  to  the 
beaks  of  the  birds  are  washed  into  the  pots  and  if  this  is 
allowed  to  stand  in  the  pots  it  soon  becomes  sour  and 
forms  a  slimy  mass  which  would  be  far  from  healthful. 

The  birds  must  have  fresh  pure  water  at  all  times. 
Neglect  your  feeding  if  you  must  neglect  something,  but 
do  not  neglect  the  water.  During  hot  weather  we  make 
sure  that  the  outer  doors  of  the  water  shed  are  in  such 
position  that  the  pots  are  shaded  from  the  sun. 

Gathering  the  Eggs 

We  gather  the  eggs  twice  each  day — at  1  and  5  p.  m. 
We  use  4  gallon  galvanized  iron  pails,  which  hold  150 
eggs  nicely.  Two  pails  are  carried  to  a  compartment; 


WITH  4200  HENS  129 

one  is  hung  out  of  reach  of  the  birds  while  the  other  is 
filled ;  the  full  one  is  set  outdoors,  and  when  both  are  rilled 
they  are  carried  to  the  egg  room.  We  do  not  load  them 
on  a  wheelbarrow  or  cart.  The  distance  is  not  great  and 
we  find  the  breakage  to  be  much  less  if  they  are  carried. 

If  an  egg  is  dropped  the  remains  are  picked  up  as  well 
as  may  be  and  are  thrown  into  a  mash  trough.  It  is  bad 
practice  to  allow  the  birds  to  eat  a  broken  egg  where  it 
lies.  Not  only  may  egg  eating  be  thereby  encouraged 
but  the  hens  soon  form  the  habit  of  following  the  egg 
buckets,  and  if  by  chance  a  bucket  of  eggs  is  left  for  a 
moment  they  will  be  found  pecking  at  the  eggs.  An  im- 
perfect shell  near  the  top  means  an  egg  broken  into  the 
mass;  and  this  in  turn  means  washing  the  whole  lot  as 
the  white  will  glue  eggs  together  wherever  it  touches 
them.  Nothing  but  a  thorough  soaking  will  disengage 
them  and  many  will  adhere  and  be  broken  in  spite  of  it. 

At  the  last  gathering  the  nests  are  closed.  The  brood- 
ies can  be  taken  out  and  put  into  the  broody  coops  dur- 
ing the  last  gathering.  The  nests  are  opened  after  dark, 
at  which  time  the  outer  doors  of  the  house  are  closed  dur- 
ing the  late  fall,  throughout  the  winter,  and  in  the  early 
spring.  The  compartment  doors  are  always  closed  at 
night  and  are  re-opened  when  the  sprouted  oats  are  fed 
in  the  morning. 

The  trip  through  the  houses  after  dark  is  thought  ad- 
visable. One  can  keep  in  touch  with  the  roosting  condi- 
tions, and  should  colds  develop  it  will  quickly  be  noticed. 

Grading  and  Packing  the  Eggs 

We  grade  the  eggs  according  to  the  specifications  of  the 
Los  Angeles  Produce  Exchange.  This  calls  for  three 


130  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

grades :  Eggs  weighing  not  less  than  22  ozs.  per  dozen, 
averaging  not  less  than  24  ozs.  per  dozen,  and  weighing, 
case  included,  not  less  than  55  pounds  to  the  30  dozen 
case;  these  are  called  "Fresh  Extras."  The  second  grade 
is  known  as  "Pullets" — not  because  of  their  being  laid 
by  pullets  but  because  of  their  size.  They  must  weigh 
not  less  than  18  ozs.  per  dozen,  running  to  less  than  22 
ozs.  and  averaging  48  pounds  to  the  30  dozen  case,  case 
included.  Those  running  smaller  than  the  "Pullet"  size 
are  called  "Peewees" ;  this  grade  is  made  up  of  the  first 
eggs  laid  by  the  pullets  which  are  usually  undersized. 

Each  egg  must  conform  to  the  weight  requirement. 
This  is  obtained  by  the  use  of  a  special  scale  made  for 
the  purpose ;  the  weights  provided  with  the  scale  will 
balance  one-twelfth  of  22  and  18  ozs.  respectively.  A 
little  practice  enables  one  to  weigh  the  eggs  very  rapidly 
and  after  a  time  many  can  be  passed  into  the  proper  grade 
without  weighing. 

We  pack  no  eggs  with  weak  or  broken  shells ;  and  eggs 
that  are  very  much  soiled  are  washed.  These  are  put 
into  a  special  case  during  the  storage  season  (March  to 
May)  as  a  washed  egg  will  not  stand  up  in  cold  storage. 

A  special  grade  is  made  for  other  than  white-shelled 
eggs,  but  as  we  have  no  other  this  does  not  interest  us. 

The  eggs  are  allowed  to  stand  in  the  buckets  over  night 
so  that  the  animal  heat  may  escape  before  they  are 
packed.  We  have  demonstrated  the  fact  that  eggs  packed 
immediately  will  sweat  in  the  card  board  fillers  of  the 
case  and  the  quality  is  thereby  impaired,  especially  for 
storage.  Contrary  to  general  belief  an  egg  taken  from  the 
nest  while  yet  warm  and  cooked  immediately  is  not  as 


WITH  4200  HENS  131 

good  an  egg  as  one  that  has  been  allowed  to  become 
"set"  by  a  24-hour  cooling. 

Marketing  the  Eggs 

Our  entire  output  of  eggs  for  table  use  is  sold  to  a 
wholesale  egg  merchant  on  a  yearly  contract.  The  eggs 
are  called  for  and  empty  cases  are  returned  three  times  a 
week.  We  make  no  sales  whatever  outside  the  contract 
—not  even  a  single  dozen.  The  merchant  who  contracts 
our  output  knows  from  one  day  to  another  just  what  he 
may  count  on.  Such  an  arrangement  enables  one  to  ob- 
tain the  best  possible  price. 

It  is  the  writer's  belief  that  a  middleman  or  his  equiv- 
alent in  some  form  or  another  is  an  absolute  necessity, 
especially  in  the  egg  business,  the  product  of  which  de- 
teriorates so  rapidly.  The  egg  farmer  must  have  a  place 
where  he  knows  his  entire  product  will  be  accepted  and 
welcomed  at  a  fair  price.  If  he  is  working  on  the  right 
system  his  time  will  be  well  taken  up,  especially  during 
the  season  of  heaviest  production.  At  that  time  he  should 
be  brooding  chicks.  To  interrupt  this  most  important 
activity  or  to  curtail  the  number  he  might  handle  by  giv- 
ing part  of  his  time  to  the  selling  end  of  the  business  is 
a  serious  mistake. 

If  the  man  who  markets  his  products  in  small  lots, 
selling  what  he  can  at  retail  and  dumping  the  remainder 
finally  at  wholesale,  would  take  the  trouble  to  keep  record 
of  the  time  spent  along  with  the  difference  in  price  re- 
ceived for  the  remainder,  compared  with  what  he  could 
get  if  he  sold  the  whole  product,  he  would  easily  see  me 
point  herein  made.  But  his  greatest  loss  is  not  apparent. 


132  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

This  is  represented  by  the  profit  he  might  have  made  from 
the  additional  pullets  he  could  have  raised. 

A  retail  merchant  counts  his  time,  interest  on  invest- 
ment, wear  and  tear  on  delivery  equipment,  and  similar 
charges  as  part  of  the  cost  of  the  article  he  handles.  The 
average  farmer,  on  the  contrary,  counts  none  of  these 
when  estimating  the  additional  profit  he  made  by  re- 
tailing. But  the  fact  that  he  does  not  count  them  cuts  no 
figure — the  cost  is  there  just  the  same. 

The  view  expressed,  summed  up,  is  that  the  egg  farm- 
er should  make  his  entire  profit  in  the  production  of  the 
egg.  If  there  is  no  profit,  or  too  small  a  profit,  in  the  pro- 
duction end  of  the  business  he  had  better  retire  from  it. 

Co-operative  marketing  of  the  product  of  egg  farms  has 
come  to  be  much  in  vogue  in  California.  Where  the  pro- 
duction is  limited,  and  especially  where  a  number  of  egg 
farms  are  located  within  reasonable  distance  of  each 
other,  the  plan  has  much  in  its  favor.  The  all-important 
question  is,  what  does  it  cost  to  handle  the  business? 
Perhaps  equally  important  is  the  question  of  how  far 
should  the  operation  be  carried?  When  co-operative 
associations  enter  the  field  of  retailing  and  cold-storage 
they  are  reaching  the  zone  of  thin  ice  from  the  writer's 
point  of  view.  Insofar  as  they  may  be  used  in  establish- 
ing and  maintaining  a  fair  price  for  the  product,  the  cost 
of  which  they  should  have  no  difficulty  in  determining, 
they  are  clearly  within  their  proper  field. 

The  subject  is  a  large  one,  however,  and  what  has  been 
said  merely  touches  the  surface.  Those  who  are  consider- 
ing that  form  of  marketing  their  product  may  well  give 
thought  to  these  general  suggestions. 


WITH  4200  HENS  133 

Selling  Hatching  Eggs  and  Baby  Chicks 

We  contract  our  surplus  hatching  eggs  to  a  commercial 
hatchery  on  the  same  general  plan  that  is  followed  in 
marketing  eggs  for  table  use ;  we  make  a  contract  for  the 
whole  supply  by  the  year.  And  as  has  already  been  said, 
we  do  no  hatching  whatever.  This  course  was  adopted 
after  a  number  of  years'  experience  doing  our  own  hatch- 
ing and  selling  such  odd  lots  of  hatching  eggs  as  we  could 
find  a  market  for.  We  do  not  obtain  as  high  a  price  for 
the  eggs  in  this  way  but  we  sell  them  all.  We  prefer  a 
certain  small  premium  to  a  possible  larger  one. 

To  those  who  prefer  making  the  experiment  for  them- 
selves or  to  those  who  have  time  to  spare  for  such  activi- 
ties we  have  one  bit  of  advice  to  offer :  Do  not  make  the 
common  mistake  of  booking  in  advance  orders  for  eggs 
or  chicks  that  may,  by  any  possible  chance,  interfere  with 
your  own  hatching  dates.  Set  your  own  dates  and  stick 
to  them.  Should  there  be  any  doubt  of  your  having 
enough  eggs  from  your  own  flock  arrange  for  the  possible 
deficit  elsewhere.  Let  nothing  interfere  with  getting 
your  chicks  and  all  of  them  at  the  time  or  times  you  de- 
cide to  have  them. 

The  writer  has  seen  a  number  of  ventures  founder  on 
this  rock.  The  demand  for  hatching  eggs  and  baby 
chicks  is  extremely  heavy  during  the  choice  hatching 
months.  To  grab  off  the  few  pennies  that  might  lie  in 
selling  the  eggs  at  hatching  prices  the  thoughtless  poul- 
tryman  engages  and  sells  the  eggs  at  that  time  and 
hatches  for  himself  when  the  demand  slackens.  This  is 
suicide.  It  is  akin  to  selling  all  your  good  apples  and 
keeping  the  rotten  ones  for  yourself. 


134  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Cleaning  and  Disinfecting 

The  dropping  boards  are  cleaned  every  ten  days  and 
the  concrete  floors  are  cleaned  of  litter  every  three 
months.  In  wet  weather  cleaning  the  drop-boards  every 
week  is  advisable. 

A  long  handled,  square-point  shovel  is  used,  face  down, 
on  the  drop-boards,  the  droppings  being  pushed  toward 
the  back  wall;  this  scrapes  them  clean.  A  large  hoe  is 
then  used  to  pull  the  mass  into  a  wheelbarrow,  specially 
built  to  fit  under  the  edge  of  the  drop-board.  A  wide  rake 
and  a  scoop  shovel  are  the  best  tools  for  cleaning  out  the 
litter,  along  with  a  spade  to  loosen  any  droppings  that 
adhere  to  the  concrete. 

When  the  buildings  are  new  we  spray  them  before 
birds  are  put  into  them.  Thereafter  the  underside  of  the 
roosts  and  crossbars  and  the  drop-boards  are .  sprayed 
after  each  cleaning.  When  this  has  been  done  for  sev- 
eral months  the  wood  becomes  thoroughly  saturated 
and  they  are  then  sprayed  once  each  month. 

We  use  stove  distillate,  a  thick  brown  liquid,  and  mix 
with  it  5  per  cent  of  creosote.  The  latter  can  be  bought 
in  drug  or  paint  stores.  It  is  applied  with  a  5-gallon 
compressed  air  sprayer  which  can  be  bought  at  seed 
stores. 

The  spraying  is  usually  done  in  the  afternoon,  after 
the  first  gathering  of  eggs,  to  lessen  the  chance  of  the 
birds  getting  their  feet  into  the  stutf  and  then  walking 
over  a  lot  oi  eggs.  This  mixture  is  likely  to  cause  dis- 
colored leathers,  especially  in  wet  weather,  but  years  of 
use  of  it  has  demonstrated  to  us  that  it  will  keep  out 
vermin  and  we  chance  the  discolored  feathers. 


WITH  4200  HENS  135 

We  do  not  approve  of  the  water  mixtures  for  spray- 
ing; we  prefer  the  oily  base  which  saturates  the  wood. 

A  cheap  grade  of  kerosene  may  be  used  in  place  of 
distillate. 

Disposition  of  Manure 

All  of  the  manure,  both  drop-board  material  and  litter, 
is  sold  under  a  yearly  contract.  The  purchaser  does  the 
hauling. 

There  is  keen  competition  for  it  in  this  section  for  use 
in  fertilizing  citrus  groves.  It  seems  generally  agreed 
that  it  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  fertilizers.  It  is  worth 
at  this  time  about  $8.00  per  two-yard  load,  at  the  farm. 
When  we  started  in  the  business  we  gave  it  away.  Our 
total  sales  up  to  this  time  have  brought  us  more  than 
$1,200. 

A  cubic  yard  of  drop-board  material  averages  about 
750  pounds  in  weight  during  the  dry  summer  months. 

Freshening  the  Yards 

The  yards  in  use  are  either  ploughed  or  cultivated  once 
each  month.  If  the  ground  is  dry  the  sprayers  are  put 
on  and  it  is  thoroughly  wet  down  the  day  before  the 
ploughing  is  done. 

When  old  hens  are  sold  off  and  yards  are  vacant  they 
are  ploughed  and  sowed  to  barley.  This  is  used  to  sup- 
plement the  supply  of  green  stuff  through  the  late  fall 
and  winter.  Barley  planted  in  September  is  high  enough 
to  be  cut  with  a  scythe  in  about  six  weeks  and  we  have 
had  as  many  as  four  and  five  cuttings  from  it.  It  is 
finally  allowed  to  head  out  and  mature  when  it  is  cut 
and  used  for  litter.  Maturing  the  grain  seems  to  purify 


ts 


WITH  4200  HENS  137 

the  soil  most  thoroughly.  The  edges  and  corners  of  the 
yards  are  turned  over  with  a  spade  so  that  no  unclean  por- 
tions remain. 

When  several  compartments  of  birds  are  opened  into 
one,  by  opening  the  partition  doors,  one  section  of  the 
yard  is  closed  off.  This  is  sowed  to  barley  and  the  birds 
are  turned  into  that  yard  as  soon  as  the  barley  is  6  or  8 
inches  high,  the  other  section  being  sowed.  This  is  con- 
tinued throughout  the  year,  excepting  during  July  ana 
August  when  hot  weather  makes  barley-growing  im- 
possible. 

Young  stock  is  never  put  into  a  yard  without  growing 
barley  in  it.  This  is  an  invariable  rule. 

Breeding  Plan 

We  use  nothing  but  January  hatched  male  birds  for 
breeding  purposes,  the  sons  of  December  layers.  Cock- 
erels are  mated  with  yearling  hens  and  yearling  cocks 
with  January  hatched  pullets.  We  prefer  not  using  eggs 
from  the  January  hatched  pullets  for  the  January  hatches 
of  the  following  year — they  are  used  for  the  March 
hatches. 

We  mate  at  the  rate  of  20  to  1,  with  not  less  than  500 
birds  in  one  yard  and  house ;  as  a  rule  we  have  from  1,000 
to  1,500  in  one  flock.  The  cockerel-hen  mating  is  made 
early,  usually  in  August;  the  pullet-cock  mating  is  de- 
ferrecl  until  November. 

The  birds  should  be  mated  at  least  two  weeks  before 
the  eggs  are  used. 

Our  experience  has  been  that  the  male  birds  are  much 
better  off  if  they  are  not  taken  out  and  segregated  from 


138  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

the  hens  once  they  are  mated.  We  never  separate  them 
if  the  male  birds  are  to  be  used  in  the  breeding  yaras 
again.  We  double  them  up  when  the  hatching  season  is 
over,  keeping  in  one  yard  all  the  males  that  will  be  car- 
ried over.  The  males  are  dusted  for  lice  when  the  change 
is  made  and  again  when  the  yards  are  made  up  for  the 
following  season.  The  male  birds  are  inclined  to  neglect 
the  dust  bath. 

The  hens  are  not  selected — we  mate  the  flock  as  it 
stands.  A  hen  that  has  passed  through  her  first  laying 
season,  escaping  our  culling  sickle,  and  that  goes  through 
the  moult  in  good  shape,  again  escaping  being  culled,  is 
considered  a  fit  mother  to  our  next  year's  pullets.  This 
may  not  be  the  correct  method,  but  it  is  the  method  em- 
ployed here;  and  it  is  the  method  employed  in  gaining 
warrant  for  the  title  of  this  book. 

Selling  the  Old  Hens 

We  carry  the  layers  through  two  laying  seasons  and 
sell  them  when  they  reach  the  non-profit  stage  at  the  end 
of  the  second  season.  Pullets  raised  in  the  spring  of  1919 
will  be  sold  in  the  fall  of  1921.  When  the  egg  yield  de- 
creases to  a  questionable  point  we  make  a  rough  calcu- 
lation of  the  daily  cost  of  feeding  the  lot  of  hens  to  be 
sold ;  and  when  the  value  of  the  eggs  laid  in  any  one  day 
does  not  show  a  profit  over  the  feed  cost  the  birds  are 
sold  in  one  lot. 

It  is  possible  to  pick  out  the  birds  that  are  still  laying, 
either  by  their  appearance  (if  one  has  the  experience  nec- 
essary to  judge),  or  by  taking  them  off  the  nests  day  by 
day  for  four  or  five  days ;  we  have  done  this  several  times 


WITH  4200  HENS  139 

and  made  a  little  profit  by  it,  but  as  a  rule  the  profit  to 
be  made  thereby  is  too  small  to  warrant  the  time  and 
effort  expended.  We  take  no  interest  in  anatomical  tests. 

We  arrange  with  a  market  man  to  take  the  whole  lot. 
Grading  the  hens  by  weight  usually  results  in  a  better 
price;  this  can  best  be  done  at  the  time  they  are  crated. 
But  we  try  to  make  a  bargain  on  the  basis  of  splitting  the 
price  between  the  high  and  middle  quotations.  The  low 
price,  which  applies  to  culls  of  very  light  weight,  is  not 
used  in  this  kind  of  bargaining  where  the  "pen  run"  is  sold 
and  none  are  selected  to  be  saved  out.  If  the  best  are 
being  saved  out  to  be  carried  over  the  price  is  likely  to  be 
shaded.  In  selling  the  "pen  run"  of  two-year-old  birds  in 
the  months  of  September  and  October  we  find  they  will 
average  about  3^2  pounds.  If  they  are  sold  earlier,  or  if 
they  are  carried  until  late  in  November,  they  are  likely  to 
weigh  a  fraction  more.  Older  hens  will  generally  aver- 
age more  in  weight. 

We  prefer  having  the  birds  crated  and  made  ready  for 
transporting  to  market  at  from  3  to  4  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. At  this  time  the  majority  of  them  can  be  taken  oft 
the  roosts  and  put  into  the  crates  inside  the  house.  This 
is  a  great  saving  in  time  and  labor.  We  have  handled 
lots  of  a  thousand  in  this  manner  and  had  the  loaded 
trucks  drive  away  before  7  o'clock. 

Egg  Yield  per  Hen 

Our  best  egg  production  in  1918  was  from  a  yard  of  500 
pullets,  with  an  average  of  152.4  eggs  per  pullet.  The 
lowest  pullet  yield  was  145.1  per  pullet  from  a  yard  that 
originally  contained  900  birds  hatched  March  30th.  The 


140  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

hens  laid  an  average  of  120.4  eggs  in  Iiy2  months.  The 
table  following  shows  the  spread  of  the  yield  from  the  145 
egg  pullets  and  from  the  hens : 

Egg  Yield  Egg  Yield 

Month                                      per  Pullet  per  Hen 

September,  1917 1.1  6. 

October  w 5.6  3.7 

November 10.5  3.2 

December 13.7  6. 

January,  1918  13.1  10.3 

February  12.8  12.2 

March 17.2  16.8 

April 17.3  17.4 

May 16.7  16. 

June   .    ....: 13.4  12. 

July 12.6  10.3 

August  .  11.1  6.5* 


Total 145.1  120.4 

This  table  is  presented  for  the  benefit  of  the  beginner 
who  may  wish  to  know  what  he  might  expect  as  to  egg 
yield  from  month  to  month.  Its  use  as  a  guide  is  only 
relative,  however.  Weather  conditions,  both  during  the 
growing  period  and  during  the  laying  season,  will  ma- 
terially affect  the  egg-flow.  Some  seasons  there  will  be 
a  heavier  production  during  October  and  November  with 
a  decline  in  January,  and  in  such  case  the  yield  in  the 
following  season  is  apt  to  be  lighter,  especially  during  the 
summer  and  fall. 

*NOTE:  The  hens  were  sold  on  August  15,  1918,  on  which  day  they  failed  to  pay 
their  feed  bill. 


WITH  4200  HENS  141 

Could  we  control  the  egg-flow  we  would  much  pre- 
fer having  a  good,  but  not  heavy  yield  from  the  pullets 
during  the  first  fall  with  a  proportionately  heavier  flow 
during  the  second  year.  We  have  had  years  when  this 
occurred  and  we  think  it  is  more  nearly  the  ideal. 

Electric  Lights 

We  do  not  use  electric  lights  to  force  the  pullets  into 
heavier  laying  during  the  fall.  We  have  so  far  been  un- 
able to  gain  information,  based  on  authentic  records,  as 
to  the  profitableness  of  such  a  method,  especially  if  the 
birds  are  carried  through  a  second  season  and  are  used 
for  breeding. 

A  true  comparative  test  of  the  merits  of  electric  light- 
ing involves,  from  our  point  of  view,  a  two-year  laying 
record  along  with  a  comparison  of  the  number  of  eggs 
produced  during  the  profitable  hatching  months ;  the 
comparative  hatchability  of  the  eggs  and  livability  of  the 
chicks ;  and  finally,  the  comparative  mortality  among  the 
layers  during  both  years. 

When,  if  ever,  the  profits  in  the  work  grow  more  scant 
we  will  make  the  test;  but  following  our  invariable  rule 
on  experiments  we  will  divide  a  lot  of  pullets  hatched 
at  the  same  time,  from  the  same  parent  stock,  raised 
under  identical  conditions,  and  divided  impartially,  one 
lot  being  lighted,  the  other  not.  During  the  last  few 
years,  since  electric  lighting  sprang  into  favor,  we  have 
done  too  well  financially  to  warrant  departing  from  our 
proven  methods. 

200-Egg  Hens 

The  month-by-month  yield  herein  outlined  will  doubt- 
less be  disappointing  to  the  beginner,  especially  so  if  he 


142  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

reads  poultry  items  telling  of  two  hundred  and  three  hun- 
dred-egg hens.  The  egg-laying  contests  conducted 
throughout  the  country  are  apt  to  be  discouraging  also, 
unless  the  records  are  carefully  analyzed. 

In  either  case  the  reader  must  consider  not  only  the 
number  of  birds  that  reached  the  high  goal,  but  the  num- 
ber competing  that  did  not  reach  it.  An  authority  has 
stated  that  in  one  contest  where  nearly  3,000  pullets  were 
entered,  from  5  to  15  in  100  laid  200  eggs  or  more.  Those 
entered  are  of  course  the  very  cream  of  the  flock  from 
which  they  came.  If  we  allow  but  1,000  birds  for  each 
flock  represented,  the  3,000  mentioned  represented  then 
a  total  of  300,000;  and  if  we  take  the  maximum  of  15 
per  cent  to  have  reached  200  or  more  eggs,  we  have  450 
birds  of  that  class  out  of  300,000. 

Viewed  from  this  standpoint  200-egg  hens  would  seem 
to  be  almost  as  scarce  as  the  proverbial  hen's-teeth. 

A  higher  production  per  bird  may  be  attained  by  keep- 
ing fewer  in  one  enclosure  as  is  done  in  the  laying  con- 
tests. Here  the  economic  feature  enters  into  play 
again.  How  much  more  will  it  cost  for  housing  and  in 
day-by-day  labor  to  increase  the  production  in  this 
manner? 

We  are  satisfied  that  we  can  make  more  net  money  in 
the  course  of  the  year  by  carrying  them  in  large  flocks 
as  we  do,  with  a  production  as  herein  outlined;  not  per 
hen,  but  in  sum  total.  And  we  would  rather  have  4,200 
birds  showing  a  net  profit  of  $2.50  each  than  1,500  giving 
a  return  of  $5.00  each. 


WITH  4200  HENS  143 

Trap-nesting  and  Other  Forms  of  Intensive  Selection 

Trap-nesting,  carried  on  persistently  and  systematically 
in  connection  with  scientific  breeding  and  careful  pedigree 
work,  may  unquestionably  be  made  the  means  of  in- 
creased production  per  bird.  But  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  commercial  egg-farmer  the  economic  features  must 
be  taken  into  consideration.  It  is  purely  a  question  of 
what  it  will  cost  in  money,  time  and  labor  to  attain  the 
desired  objective  and  whether  or  not  there  will  be  a 
greater  net  profit  at  the  end  of  the  year — not  per  bird, 
but  in  total  dollars. 

That  "total  net  profit"  is  the  only  influencing  factor 
with  us,  allowance  being  made  for  the  fact  that  we  wish 
to  continue  year  after  year.  Almost  anyone  would  rather 
have  two  150-egg  pullets  than  one  that  will  lay  200 — 
if  profit  is  the  objective.  We  have  never  experimented 
with  trap-nest  work,  but  the  writer  believes  that  he  can 
raise  and  care  for  a  sufficiently  greater  number  of  140-150- 
egg  pullets  by  the  plan  and  with  the  methods  he  follows 
to  more  than  offset  the  profit  to  be  derived  from  the 
higher  individual  production  that  may  be  attained  by  the 
trap-nesting  method. 

And  so  we  do  not  trap-nest. 

We  do  not  practice  other  forms  of  selection  of  layers 
by  anatomical  tests  because  we  have  no  faith  in  the 
accuracy  of  any  such  method  that  has  come  to  our  atten- 
tion. So  far  as  we  know  no  such  method  has  stood  the 
test  of  a  comparison  with  trap-nest  records;  nor  do  we 
know  of  anyone  who  has  succeeded  by  any  such  method 
in  gaining  a  greater  net  profit  in  one  year  than  we  make 
with  a  flock  of  equal  size  and  with  the  expenditure  of 
the  same  time  and  labor. 


144  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Size  of  Eggs 

To  a  certain  extent  the  size  of  the  eggs  laid  will  be 
dependent  on  the  breeding  of  the  hens  that  laid  them. 
A  chick  hatched  from  a  large  egg  will  not  necessarily 
prove  to  be  a  layer  of  large  eggs  ;  but  a  flock  of  hens  raised 
from  chicks  hatched  out  of  uniformly  large  eggs  will  be 
more  apt  to  average  large  eggs  than  a  flock  from  chicks 
hatched  out  of  eggs  which  have  not  been  selected  for 
size.  Nor  will  a  large  hen  necessarily  lay  a  large  egg— 
the  reverse  is  more  likely  to  be  true  with  Leghorns. 

The  eggs  will  vary  in  size  with  the  age  of  the  layer; 
and  feed,  water,  weather,  and  what  might  be  termed  tran- 
quility  will  also  affect  the  size. 

Pullets  just  coming  into  laying  usually  lay  small  eggs 
and  the  quicker  the  maturity  the  smaller  the  first  eggs 
will  be.  Fall  hatched  birds  mature  quickly  and  will  lay 
small  eggs  for  a  long  time.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
January  hatches;  but  the  eggs  will  grow  larger  in  less 
time.  March  hatched  birds  will  lay  but  few  small  eggs 
at  the  start  if  they  come  in  normally — in  from  5^2  to 
6j^  months ;  if  they  are  slow  and  do  not  come  in  until 
7  or  8  months  the  first  eggs  will  be  larger,  often  of  normal 
size. 

In  the  second  laying  season  eggs  from  all  of  these  birds 
will  be  larger,  many  of  them  too  large.  But  in  the  third 
season  they  are  apt  to  be  smaller  if  the  hens  have  run  to 
fat.  This  has  been  our  experience,  though  it  may  not 
hold  good  generally.  It  seems  to  be  agreed,  however, 
that  hens  three  years  old  and  older  lay  more  eggs  having 
imperfect  shells. 

Improper  feeding  will  affect  the  size  of  the  eggs.     On 


WITH  4200  HENS  145 

our  mash  formula,  which  carries  15  per  cent  of  meat  and 
fish  meals,  we  have  found  that  feeding-  half  and  half  of 
grain  and  mash  gives  us  a  more  uniformly  large  egg. 
If  the  feed  gets  out  of  balance,  the  error  shows  up  quickly 
in  the  larger  proportion  of  small  eggs  laid.  This  par- 
ticular point,  confirmed  later  by  experiments,  was  first 
called  to  the  writer's  attention  by  his  very  good  friend, 
Mr.  M.  A.  Schofield. 

Failure  of  the  water  supply,  even  for  a  short  time,  will 
result  in  smaller  eggs ;  so,  too,  will  the  giving  of  salts. 

A  sudden  hot  spell  following  moderate  weather  is 
usually  accompanied  by  a  run  of  smaller  eggs. 

Fright,  or  moving  hens  from  one  place  to  another,  will 
be  followed  by  a  run  of  smaller  eggs.  But  back  of  it  all 
is  the  question  of  whether  or  not  the  birds  come  from 
a  strain  that  has  been  bred  to  lay  large  eggs. 

Nest  Materials 

When  the  nest  boxes  have  been  thoroughly  sprayed  we 
allow  time  enough  for  the  spraying  material  to  saturate 
the  wood  and  the  surplus  to  dry  off.  We  first  put  in  a 
double  handful  of  tobacco  stems ;  these  are  purchased 
from  cigar  factories.  The  box  is  then  filled  to  within 
an  inch  of  the  top  of  the  front  board  with  fresh  pine 
shavings.  Redwood  shavings  should  not  be  used.  An 
egg  broken  in  a  nest  of  Redwood  shavings,  or  any  other 
form  of  moisture  coming  in  contact  with  them  in  such  a 
nest  will  badly  discolor  the  shells  of  any  eggs  laid  in 
that  nest,  and  this  discoloration  is  apt  to  prove  prac- 
tically indelible. 


146  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Designation  of  Chickens 

We  are  often  asked  the  meaning  of  "Hen,  Pullet,  Cock- 
erel and  Cocks."  We  do  not  know  the  established  rule  of 
usage.  In  the  hands  of  a  dealer  who  is  selling  live  birds, 
every  female  is  a  pullet — if  he  can  get  away  with  it,  espe- 
cially in  the  fall  when  only  pullets  are  supposed  to  be 
laying.  Early  moulters  answer  the  purpose  most 
admirably. 

With  us  they  are  "Pullets"  until  they  have  passed 
through  their  first  complete  moult ;  birds  hatched  in  Jan- 
uary go  through  a  light  moult  in  their  firs];  fall,  but  they 
are  still  pullets  with  us  until  the  following  fall.  So,  too, 
is  a  fall  hatched  bird. 

After  the  first  full  moult  they  are  "Hens" ;  and  if  we 
carried  them  long  enough  they  would  be  "Yearling  Hens" 
and  "Two-year-olds." 

The  same  rule  applies  to  the  males.  They  are  "Cock- 
erels" until  after  the  first  full  moult,  when  they  become 
"Cocks." 

In  table  poultry  we  seldom  get  beyond  the  "Broiler" 
stage.  Under  \l/2  pounds  they  are  usually  known  as 
"Squab  Broilers;"  from  \y2  up  to  2j4  pounds  they  are 
"Broilers"  and  beyond  that  they  become  "Fryers"  or 
"Soft  Roasters."  In  the  Leghorns  especially  if  a  young- 
bird  gets  into  the  Fryer  class  the  marketman  is  partic- 
ular to  see  that  it  is  still  "soft-boned" — that  the  point  of 
the  breast  bone  is  still  soft  and  pliable.  If  it  is  not  they 
are  classed  as  "Stags" — so  far  as  paying  the  producer  is 
concerned;  what  class  they  take  when  sold  to  the  con- 
sumer is  another  matter. 


DISEASES 

Foreword 

Many  poultrymen  deny  having  sickness  in  their  flocks 
and  we  have  even  known  of  some  operating  on  a  large 
scale  who  profess  to  lose  few  if  any  birds.  This  makes 
it  hard  on  the  beginner  and  to  the  writer  it  seems  unfair 
because  of  the  discouragement  felt  by  the  beginner  who 
encounters  trouble  and  loses  birds.  The  writer  knows — 
he  has  been  there.  And  it  is  his  purpose  herein  to  pre- 
pare the  inexperienced  for  possible  trouble.  He  will  also 
give  his  experience  as  to  mortality.  The  reader  who  is 
susceptible  to  suggestion  is  reminded  of  the  fact  that  the 
writer  earned  the  title  of  this  book  in  spite  of  his  experi- 
ence with  disease  and  mortality ;  without  that  sad  experi- 
ence he  would  long  since  have  retired  to  a  life  of  ease.  It 
might  be  proper  to  add  that  we  have  met  but  few  retired 
egg-farmers. 

What  has  been  said  in  connection  with  diseases  of 
young  chicks  might  well  be  repeated  here,  however.  Do 
not  take  too  seriously  the  stuff  put  out  by  "the  medicine 
man;"  bear  in  mind  that  to  sell  his  goods  he  must  show 
you,  perhaps  in  your  own  flock,  an  apparent  reason  for 
using  them,  and  remember  that  he  has  not  come  to  you 
as  a  matter  of  philanthropy.  He  has  come  to  you  liter- 
ally looking  for  trouble  and  as  is  always  the  case  he  who 
seeks  that  finds  it,  especially  so  if  he  makes  money  by  it. 

From  the  writer's  point  of  view  the  research  work  that 
has  been  done  toward  eliminating  or  controlling  disease 
among  chickens  is  both  woefully  and  pitifully  of  minor 
extent.  The  individual  object,  "just  a  chicken,"  does  not 


148  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

seem  to  warrant  the  attention  being  given  the  subject 
that  is  given  where  the  individual  has  more  money  value. 
A  cow  or  horse  looks  like  seventy-five  or  one  hundred, 
even  one  or  more  thousands  of  dollars,  while  a  chicken 
was  rated,  before  these  strenuous  times,  at  perhaps  twen- 
ty-five or  fifty  cents.  It  is  only  when  we  consider  the 
hen  from  the  standpoint  of  possible  and  probable  earn- 
ing capacity  and  then  multiply  the  figure  by  one  or  more 
thousands,  even  hundreds  of  thousands  (for  the  mor- 
tality in  chickendom  throughout  the  country  runs  to  that 
annually),  only  then  do  we  realize  the  importance  of 
that  twenty-five  cent  subject. 

The  writer  proposes  then  to  record  his  observations 
and  experience  and  to  exploit  his  ignorant  theories  with 
the  hope  that  perhaps  by  the  very  ignorance  proclaimed, 
a  discussion  may  be  quickened  which  will  lead  toward 
advancement.  He  is  ready  at  any  time  to  join  in  a  move- 
ment looking  to  a  proper  interest  being  taken  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  his  portion  of  the  money  needed  to  finance  the 
enterprise  is  likewise  ready. 

Indications  of  Health  and  Disease 

There  is  no  simpler  and  better  method  by  which  to 
judge  the  condition  and  health  of  the  birds  than  by  watch- 
ing the  combs  and  the  droppings. 

The  comb  of  a  healthy  bird,  excepting  during  the  moult- 
ing season,  will  be  a  bright  red.  During  the  moult  the 
brightness  will  disappear,  the  color  fades  to  pink,  and 
the  comb  will  contract  in  size  and  may  look  as  though 
lightly  powdered  over ;  but  it  will  not  turn  color. 

A  bird  out  of  condition  will  show  a  blue  or  even  a  blue- 


WITH  4200  HENS  149 

black  color  in  the  comb.  In  extreme  weather  birds  will 
show  a  bluish  tinge  in  the  comb  and  this  will  disappear 
if  the  bird  is  put  in  a  dry,  warm  place ;  but  the  fact  that 
it  is  susceptible  to  the  weather  indicates  that  the  bird  is 
not  in  what  might  be  termed  "the  pink  of  condition." 

The  careful  poultryman  will  watch  the  drop-boards  as 
regularly  as  he  watches  the  nests.  The  droppings  of  a 
hen  in  good  health  and  condition  are  voided  in  a  rather 
compact  mass,  tending  toward  a  point  on  one  end,  greyish 
in  color  with  a  decided  cream-colored  spot  in  the  mass, 
and  of  the  consistency  of  soft  putty.  Any  variation  in- 
dicates error  somewhere.  If  the  mass  is  too  hard  there 
is  a  tendency  toward  constipation ;  if  too  soft,  the  reverse. 
In  most  cases  the  variation  is  due  to  an  error  in  feeding. 
This  may  be  the  fault  of  the  bird  or  of  the  feeder. 

Slight  variations  need  cause  no  concern ;  the  bird  may 
have  over-eaten  of  one  thing  or  another.  It  is  only  when 
violent  variations  are  observed,  variations  that  are  ap- 
parent for  days  at  a  time,  that  the  cause  of  the  trouble 
must  be  looked  for.  If  the  drop-boards  and  the  yards 
show  masses  of  watery  discharge,  or  soft  yellow  or 
brownish  material,  it  is  well  to  exercise  caution. 

All  flocks  will  show  the  effects  of  a  sudden  change  in 
temperature,  the  lack,  even  for  a  short  time,  of  pure  fresh 
water,  a  sudden  variation  in  diet,  or  the  continued  lack 
of  some  important  element  in  the  feed,  such  as  shell,  grit 
or  green  stuff.  The  feeding  of  immature  grains,  heated 
corn,  or  an  absence  of  variety  in  the  ration  will  also  be 
apparent  in  the  droppings.  So  it  follows  that  if  the  off- 
color  or  imperfect  consistency  continues  and  no  other 
sign  of  trouble  is  apparent  we  must  look  to  the  feed  and 


150  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

the  water.  Only  too  often  the  trouble  may  be  found  in 
the  water-container — it  was  probably  emptied  and 
scrubbed  out  two  or  three  weeks  ago  and  is  now  half  full 
of  a  slimy  mass  of  corruption.  We  have  seen  such. 

The  droppings  always  seem  looser  in  wet  weather  than 
in  the  warm  summer  months,  due  to  failure  of  evapora- 
tion. This  must  not  be  confused  with  a  laxative  con- 
dition. 

Diseases  We  Have  Encountered 

The  list  of  poultry  diseases  is  almost  as  long  as  the 
moral  law.  In  our  experience  we  have  encountered  and 
identified : 

Colds  and  Catarrh;  Bronchitis;  Chicken  Pox  and 
Canker;  Congestion  or  other  forms  of  Liver  Complaint; 
Dropsy  and  Tumors;  Limberneck;  Clogged  Crop;  Leg 
Weakness;  Bumblefoot;  Eggbound;  and  Prolapsus  of 
the  Oviduct. 

The  commonest  form  of  trouble  in  our  section  is  colds 
and  catarrh  which  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  fall  when 
very  warm  days  are  likely  to  be  followed  by  cold  nights. 
Frequently  the  change  in  temperature  at  sundown  is  ex- 
treme. This  is  especially  hard  on  hens  in  the  moult  and 
on  young  pullets  just  coming  into  laying.  Again,  we 
have  little  or  no  rainfall  from  May  until  September  ordi- 
narily, and  especially  toward  the  end  of  this  long  dry 
season  the  atmosphere  is  heavily  charged  with  fine  dust. 

Chicken  pox  and  canker  should  probably  be  accorded 
second  place  in  this  black  list.  We  have  had  two  sieges 
of  it  during  the  eight  years  we  have  been  in  the  work,  but 
in  some  sections  it  must  be  contended  with  much  more 
frequently.  The  disease  is  more  flourishing  in  damp 


WITH  4200  HENS  15  i 

climates.  In  some  sections  near  the  coast  there  is  always 
more  or  less  of  the  trouble.  It  has  been  observed  that  an 
attack  is  more  virulent  in  cold,  wet  weather  than  in  hot, 
dry  atmosphere.  Freezing  weather  appears  to  be  no 
deterrent. 

The  other  troubles  encountered  are  of  more  or  less  a 
minor  character  compared  with  the  first  named.  They 
are  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  and  the  mortality 
due  to  them  is  insignificant. 

COLDS  AND  CATARRH :  These  troubles  are  easily 
recognized.  Frequently  the  birds  throw  them  off  with 
no  treatment,  especially  if  a  day  of  unusual  weather  is 
followed  by  a  normal  one  or  if  there  has  been  some  neg- 
lect which  is  remedied. 

If  you  make  a  practice  of  going  through  the  houses  at 
night,  as  we  do,  you  will  get  notice  promptly  of  cold  and 
catarrhal  trouble.  Birds  will  be  heard  to  sneeze  and 
cough,  others  will  have  difficulty  in  breathing,  the  breath 
coming  in  a  sort  of  wheeze.  At  times  one  may  be  heard 
with  a  barking-cough ;  this  is  more  in  the  nature  of  bron- 
chitis probably. 

If  the  presence  of  the  trouble  is  not  recognized  in  thh 
manner  it  may  not  be  noticed  until  a  more  advanced  stage 
is  reached,  when  there  will  be  a  running  at  the  nostrils, 
with  inflammation  at  the  eyes  and  possibly  a  cheesy  de- 
posit in  the  sockets  of  the  eyes.  This  may  lead  eventually 
to  a  severe  swelling  around  the  eyes.  At  this  stage  the 
eye  may  become  entirely  closed  over  with  the  cheesy 
deposit  extending  through  the  nasal  passage  into  the 
mouth  and  throat.  A  bird  in  this  condition  will  starve  to 


152  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

death.     If  it  is  a  vigorous  specimen  to  begin  with  it  can 
overcome  the  trouble  if  it  is  fed. 

Some  authorities  class  this  trouble  at  one  or  more  of 
the  stages  described  as  roup  or  roupy  catarrh.  If  roup 
is  as  contagious,  as  deathly  and  as  quick  in  action  as  it 
is  credited  with  being,  the  presence  of  these  symptoms 
does  not  necessarily  signify  the  presence  of  roup. 

CHICKEN  POX  AND  CANKER:  Careful  observa- 
tion has  proven  to  us  that  a  siege  of  pox  and  canker  is 
invariably  preceded  by  signs  in  the  droppings.  During 
our  last  run  of  the  trouble  we  identified  these  signs  and 
were  able  to  forecast  within  a  few  days  of  the  time  when 
it  would  break  out  in  a  given  section  of  the  plant.  The 
particular  sign  is  the  voiding  of  an  irregular  mass,  usually 
about  one-half  normal  size,  of  a  peculiar  grass-green 
color  and  which,  if  it  came  into  contact  with  an  eggshell, 
was  practically  indelible.  The  fact  that  it  was  found 
on  eggs  in  the  nests  indicates  that  the  affected  bird  was 
probably  laying,  from  which  we  deduce  that  the  disease 
is  of  quick  development. 

It  is  the  writer's  belief  that  it  develops  in  the  intesti- 
nal tract.  This  is  contrary  to  the  idea  that  the  disease  is 
a  fungus  growth,  contagious  through  infection  of  wounds 
or  scratches. 

Whether  or  not  chicken  pox  and  canker  are  always 
coincident  is  immaterial.  We  have  never  had  one  with- 
out the  other,  excepting  in  what  the  scientist  terms 
"sporadic"  cases  which  as  we  understand  it  has  reference 
to  a  single,  isolated  case  of  a  disease  which  is  ordinarily 
epidemic.  The  writer  recalls  an  instance  several  years 
ago  where  he  found  a  perfectly  developed  case  of  chicken 


WITH  4200  HENS  153 

pox  in  a  yard  of  1,200  hens,  and  no  other  case  developed 
in  the  flock. 

The  origin  of  the  trouble  is  shrouded  in  mystery  so 
far  as  the  writer  is  concerned — as  much  so  as  is  "Spanish 
Influenza."  Fluent  writers,  poultry  "experts,"  and  men 
of  science  easily  and  airily  ascribe  it  to  filthy,  unsanitary 
conditions;  to  infection,  either  from  a  strange  bird 
brought  in  or  from  birds  of  the  air ;  or  to  other  equally 
indefinite  causes. 

As  to  its  originating  or  germinating  only  in  unsanitary, 
filthy  quarters — this  is  rather  hard  on  those  of  us  of  the 
poultry  fraternity  who  live  and  have  our  being  in  the 
welfare  of  our  birds,  and  to  him  who  has  made  any 
serious  study  of  the  trouble  it  simply  brands  the  author 
of  the  statement  as  an  ignoramus.  It  would  be  rather 
remarkable  that  plants  conducted  on  so  great  a  variety 
of  plans  and  systems  as  may  be  found  in  the  poultry  in- 
dustry, that  all  of  these  should  be  permitted  to  degenerate 
into  filth  and  disease  almost  coincidently.  During  our 
last  siege  we  had  calls  for  assistance  in  combating  the 
trouble  from  points  as  much  as  thirty  miles  apart ;  from 
breeders  with  thousands  of  hens  as  well  as  from  fanciers 
with  a  dozen  birds  kept  in  gilt  cages  on  carpeted  floors. 

As  to  the  infection  and  contagion  theories,  we  are 
equally  in  ignorance.  Our  experience  is  that  not  all  of 
the  birds  in  a  flock  will  be  attacked.  Our  records  indi- 
cate that  about  70  per  cent  of  the  birds  will  be  immune. 
And  experiments  have  proven  that  some  birds  cannot 
be  infected.  We  have  had  healthy  birds  in  the  isolation 
ward  where  both  pox  and  canker  in  every  possible  stage 
were  rampant  and  the  healthy  birds  could  not  be  infected. 


154  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

We  have  also  found  ground  for  the  belief  that  a  two- 
year-old  hen  is  more  or  less  immune  from  infection  by 
one  a  year  younger.  This  cannot  be  given  as  an  estab- 
lished fact  because  the  particular  two-year-old  may  have 
been  one  of  the  immunes.  But  in  the  development  of 
the  disease  we  had  the  same  experience  in  both  our 
sieges,  the  disease  ran  through  different  yards  of  hens 
of  the  same  age  at  the  same  time,  leaving  the  younger 
or  older  free  of  it;  and  when  it  attacked  the  birds  of  the 
other  age,  it  ran  through  all  of  the  birds  hatched  in  that 
year  regardless  of  where  they  were  kept. 

It  has  been  noted  that  30  per  cent  of  the  birds  were 
affected.  Of  this  30  per  cent,  25  per  cent  either  died  or 
had  to  be  put  out  of  the  way  because  of  canker  in  both 
eyes.  This  indicates  a  mortality  of  7^/2.  per  cent.  The 
figure  may  not  be  taken  as  entirely  accurate  for  the  reason 
that  it  includes  ordinary  mortality  which  was  not  neces- 
sarily due  to  the  pox  and  canker.  It  was  found  imprac- 
ticable to  distinguish. 

A  flock  attacked  by  this  disease  will  show  a  decrease 
of  from  50  to  60  per  cent  in  egg  production ;  a  flock  that 
has  been  laying  1,000  eggs  will  drop  to  four  or  five  hun- 
dred, and  the  production  will  reach  the  minimum  in  a 
very  short  time. 

The  disease  runs  its  course,  in  a  large  flock,  in  from 
60  to  70  days.  In  that  time  the  egg  production  will  again 
resume  normal  proportions,  allowing  for  the  mortality 
and  for  \he.  time  of  year.  It  is  our  experience  that  the 
loss  in  production  will  be  made  good  by  heavier  laying 
later  in  the  same  season  or  by  abnormally  high  pro- 
duction in  the  season  following.  The  pullets  attacked 


WITH  4200  HENS  155 

during  our  first  siege  laid  more  eggs  per  bird  in  their 
second  season  than  in  the  first,  and  during  their  second 
season  they  were  within  a  few  eggs  of  equalling  the 
record  of  the  next  year's  pullets. 

It  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  what  has  been  said 
herein  has  reference  especially  to  pox  and  canker  run- 
ning at  the  same  time.  We  have  never  had  one  without 
the  other.  From  our  observations  we  are  not  fearful  of 
pox  as  a  separate  disease.  The  writer  believes  it  would 
run  its  course  in  a  short  time  without  dosing  and  if  the 
birds  are  vigorous  at  the  start  and  have  been  well  cared 
for  that  the  mortality  would  be  negligible.  That  it  exerts 
a  harmful  influence  stands  admitted,  but  in  conjunction 
with  canker,  if  the  canker  is  a  separate  disease,  it  is  far 
from  harmless.  The  only  deaths  occurring  during  a  run 
of  the  trouble,  the  cause  of  which  we  have  been  able  to 
identify  beyond  question,  have  been  due  to  the  canker. 

Symptoms :  Chicken  Pox  may  be  recognized  by  a 
wart-like,  pimply  eruption  on  the  comb,  wattles,  face, 
and  on  the  edges  of  the  eyelids.  In  its  earlier  stages  the 
eruption  is  light  colored  and  transparent,  darkening  as  it 
develops,  and  finally  peeling  off  in  a  scale.  We  have  had 
cases  where  one  or  both  eyelids  were  affected  to  the  ex- 
tent even  of  one  eye  being  entirely  closed  and  the  other 
almost  entirely.  If  even  the  tiniest  portion  of  one  lid 
remains  uncovered  so  that  the  bird  can  find  feed  and 
water,  recovery  may  be  made  if  the  bird  was  in  good 
health  and  flesh  at  the  start. 

Canker  in  some  respects  might  be  likened  unto  a  can- 
cerous growth,  in  consistency  much  like  gristle.  It  may 
form  in  the  throat,  usually  on  the  rim  of  the  opening 


156  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

into  the  windpipe,  or  in  the  ball  of  one  or  both  eyes.  It 
develops  very  rapidly.  When  the  seat  of  the  growth  is 
in  the  windpipe  life  or  death  is  dependent  entirely  on 
whether  the  enlargement  is  downward  or  upward.  If 
downward  the  bird  will  choke  to  death,  oftener  than  not 
before  the  trouble  is  apparent.  Birds  will  be  found  dead 
under  the  roosts  or  in  the  yards  or  nests — fine,  plump 
hens.  Examination  if  carefully  made  invariably  dis- 
closes canker  in  the  windpipe  below  the  opening. 

If  the  development  is  outward  the  bird  may  be  saved 
if  caught  in  time.  Presence  of  the  trouble  is  indicated 
by  a  slight  wheeze  in  breathing,  the  mouth  being  held 
open  slightly  all  the  time.  The  bird  will  live  as  long 
as  there  is  even  a  pinhole  through  which  to  breath. 
Large  plump  birds  will  be  observed  at  times,  apparently 
in  the  pink  of  condition,  whose  bright  red  combs  turn 
to  a  dark  blue  before  your  very  eyes.  This  is  strangula- 
tion. Quick  work  will  save  many  such  cases. 

Other  Diseases 

A  cropbound  hen  usually  advertises  her  complaint. 
The  crop  bulges  out  or  hangs  downward.  We  have  had 
them  with  crops  as  hard  as  a  stone.  It  is  'due  to  some- 
thing clogging  the  opening  from  the  crop. 

Limberneck  is  usually  due  to  ptomaine  poisoning,  the 
result  of  eating  decaying  matter.  The  bird  loses  control 
of  the  muscles  of  the  neck  and  will  lie  with  its  head  on 
the  ground,  the  neck  stretched  out.  Again,  the  neck 
may  become  rigid. 

Dropsy  and  tumors  in  the  egg  bag  very  often  run 
together.  Older  hens  are  more  likely  to  be  affected  than 


WITH  4200  HENS  157 

young  ones.     The  rear  portions  of  the  bird  will  swell 
to  great  size  and  the  bird  is  literally  heavy  as  lead. 

Congestion  of  the  liver  and  other  liver  troubles  are 
usually  evidenced  by  discolored  combs.  The  comb  turns 
blue,  even  blue-black,  and  remains  sp.  This  must  not 
be  confused  with  a  somewhat  similar  discoloration  due 
to  a  chill  or  continued  exposure  to  bad  weather ;  in  the 
latter  case  the  comb  will  resume  normal  color  if  the 
bird  is  put  in  a  warm  dry  place. 

Prolapsus  is  a  projection  of  the  egg-laying  organs ;  the 
entire  egg  bag  will  sometimes  be  forced  out.  This  is 
commoner  with  young  pullets  just  beginning  to  lay,  al- 
though older  hens  will  be  afflicted  under  certain  condi- 
tions. 

Bumblefoot,  so  far  as  the  name  is  concerned,  must 
have  been  invented  by  a  practical  joker.  It  is  simply  a 
sore  foot.  The  bird  sustains  an  injury  or  runs  a  sliver 
into  the  ball  of  the  foot  resulting  in  a  puss  formation. 

Egg-Bound  is  the  inability  of  the  hen  to  pass  the 
egg,  usually  a  fully  developed  egg.  The  size  of  the  egg 
is  not  necessarily  the  cause — it  is  more  likely  a  paralysis, 
perhaps  temporary,  of  the  expulsion  muscles.  Hens  in 
this  condition  may  remain  on  the  nests  all  day  and  be 
found  there  at  night,  showing  signs  of  distress,  or  more 
likely  they  will  be  off  and  on  the  nests  and  may  be  ob- 
served straining  to  pass  the  egg. 

Leg  Weakness  is  common  among  pullets  just  ma- 
turing and  coming  into  laying  and  cases  are  found  at 
times  amongst  the  older  hens.  We  class  the  former  as 
being  due  to  some  defect  in  the  laying  organs ;  the  latter 
is  more  often  rheumatism,  although  cases  are  recalled 


158  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

which  conform  to  the  description  of  tuberculosis  given 
by  that  eminent  authority,  Professor  Dryden  (Oregon). 

A  pullet  attacked  with  leg  weakness  goes  down  com- 
pletely and  her  legs  are  useless.  There  is  no  evidence  of 
pain  when  the  bird  is  picked  up  and  the  legs  are  manip- 
ulated. 

The  cases  amongst  hens  which  we  class  as  rheuma- 
tism are  distinguished  from  the  pullet  cases  by  the  fact 
that  the  bird  shows  signs  of  pain  if  the  legs  are  touched. 
The  bird  does  not  lose  flesh  and  the  appetite  is  normal. 
The  cases  which  may  be  tuberculosis  differ  in  that  the 
bird  is  usually  thin  and  emaciated  when  the  legs  fail  and 
the  appetite  is  abnormal — the  bird  will  eat  almost  con- 
stantly if  food  is  within  reach.  Happily  these  cases  are 
extremely  rare. 

We  have  never  identified  diphtheria  and  we  have  never 
heard  it  claimed  that  either  true  roup  or  cholera  was  ever 
identified  in  Southern  California. 

It  may  be  noted  that  we  do  not  specifically  mention 
diarrhoea.  This  is  because  of  a  belief  that  most  cases 
of  looseness  of  the  bowels  are  due  either  to  a  cold  settling 
in  the  intestines  or  to  defective  feed  stuffs. 

Medicines 

In  our  earlier  experience  we  bought  and  used  perhaps 
99  per  cent  of  the  various  and  sundry  "remedies"  offered 
for  poultry  diseases.  As  we  grew  older  (perhaps  not 
wiser)  we  came  to  be  like  the  man  who  had  one  standard 
remedy:  if  too  cold  he  took  whiskey  and  if  too  hot  he 
took  whiskey. 

We  buy  no  "dope"  of  any  kind.    Our  standard  remedies 


WITH  4200  HENS  159 

are :    Common  Epsom  Salts ;  Common  Baking  Soda,  and 
Douglas  Mixture. 

Douglas  Mixture  is  said  to  be  as  old  as  the  hills ;  here  is 
the  formula: 

8     Ozs.  Copperas 

Y-2  Oz.  Sulphuric  Acid. 

Dissolve  the  Copperas  in  one  gallon  of  water,  using  a 
stone  or  glass  jar.  When  the  Copperas  is  entirely  dis- 
solved, which,  with  frequent  stirring,  it  should  be  in  about 
24  hours,  add  the  Sulphuric  Acid.  Allow  it  to  "set"  until 
the  mixture  is  perfectly  clear.  It  is  then  ready  to  use. 
It  is  poisonous.  Its  use  will  be  stated.  It  costs  seven 
cents  per  gallon. 


TREATMENT  OF  DISEASE 

The  treatment  of  disease  in  large  flocks  of  birds  is  quite 
a  different  matter  than  the  treatment  that  may  be  ac- 
corded one  or  a  few  dozen.  You  will  appreciate  this  to 
its  fullest  extent  if  you  try  to  handle  several  thousand 
birds  with  colds  or  chicken  pox  and  canker  on  the  basis 
given  in  poultry-remedy  literature  or  in  the  bulletins  is- 
sued by  the  Federal  Government  or  the  State  Experiment 
Stations.  Try  it. 

The  individual  treatment  that  may  be  given  as  will 
be  herein  outlined  is  the  result  of  years  of  work  with 
sick  birds  by  the  writer's  wife  who  came  to  be  quite 
an  authority  and  whose  work  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. She  saved  hundreds  of  birds  by  putting  in  time 
which  could  not  be  spared  from  the  general  handling  of 
the  flock  and  the  management  of  the  plant.  A  beginner, 
or  a  poultryman  at  any  stage  of  the  work,  who  has  an 
orphan-and-stray-cat-loving  wife,  can  save  many  birds  in 
the  same  way. 

Treatment  in  Flocks 

Primarily,  we  prefer  "dosing"  the  birds  through  the 
water  rather  than  through  the  feed.  A  bird  is  much  more 
likely  to  go  without  food  than  without  water.  The  water 
on  our  place  is  piped  all  over  the  plant.  A  main  line  ex- 
tends through  each  of  the  two  long  rows  of  houses.  At 
the  point  where  this  main  line  enters  the  first  yard  a 
52-gallon  barrel  is  installed  on  a  platform  six  feet  high. 
The  barrel  is  connected  to  the  water  line  with  a  shutoff 
valve  just  below  the  barrel.  Another  shutoff  valve  is 


162  HOW  i  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

put  in  the  main  line  just  outside  the  barrel  connection. 
The  barrel  is  equipped  with  a  drain  pipe  on  which  a  screw 
cap  is  set,  to  permit  of  the  barrel  being1  drained  if  desired 
and  to  remove  sediment.  The  barrel  is  filled  by  opening 
both  shutoff  valves.  When  filled  the  main  line  is  cut  off. 
When  "dope"  is  to  be  given  it  is  put  in  the  barrel.  This 
saves  a  lot  of  time  and  work.  If  some  such  arrangement 
is  not  had  it  is  necessary  to  watch  and  refill  the  water 
pots  promptly. 

COLDS,  CATARRH  AND  LOOSENESS  OF  THE 
BOWELS.  If  signs  of  colds  show  up  the  birds  are 
promptly  given  a  dose  of  Salts.  We  give  them  at  the  rate 
of  one  pound  to  250  birds.  The  Salts  are  first  thoroughly 
dissolved  in  warm  water,  which  is  then  poured  into  the 
barrel,  and  the  main  feed  line  is  cut  off.  We  usually  put 
half  the  dose  in  the  barrel  at  night  and  the  balance  when 
the  first  barrel  is  consumed.  If  this  quantity  is  not  con- 
sumed by  3  or  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  first  dose  is 
made  stronger.  The  birds  are  given  fresh  water  at  3  or 
4.  Fresh  water  is  given  the  next  day ;  and  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing the  dose  is  repeated.  We  have  found  this  the 
most  satisfactory  system. 

The  day  after  the  second  dose  of  Salts,  Douglas  Tonic 
is  put  in  the  barrel  at  the  rate  of  one  teaspoonful  to  each 
quart  of  water.  A  measure  is  made  to  gauge  the  quantity 
needed  to  each  barrelful.  The  tonic  is  continued  for  two 
or  three  days,  dependent  on  the  severity  of  the  outbreak. 
If  the  trouble  continues,  both  Salts  and  Tonic  are  re- 
peated the  following  week  and  until  the  attack  is  checked. 

A  very  good  variation  in  long  continued  run  of  colds 
is  to  give  soda,  at  the  rate  of  one  pound  to  250  birds,  each 


WITH  4200  HENS  163 

day  following  the  day  of  Salts,  this  in  turn  followed  by 
the  tonic. 

Should  any  of  the  birds  show  swelled  faces  or  sore 
eyes  they  are  removed  to  the  hospital  yard. 

CHICKEN  POX  AND  CANKER.  We  have  found 
nothing  that  will  cure  these  diseases  in  combination,  and 
we  have  found  nothing  that  will  protect  birds  from  it.  It 
is  our  experience  that  it  will  run  through  the  whole  flock, 
once  it  starts,  regardless  of  the  measures  taken  to  check 
or  prevent  it.  Our  course  has  been  different  perhaps  from 
the  ordinary  in  that  we  never  make  an  experiment  on 
the  whole  flock — nothing  can  be  learned  in  that  way. 
Previous  to  our  last  siege,  when  pox  and  canker  were  rife 
in  the  country,  we  used  a  much-advertised  remedy  on  two 
divisions  of  our  flock,  as  a  tonic  and  preventive.  These 
divisions  when  attacked  showed  within  reasonable  de- 
grees the  same  percentage  affected  and  the  same  mor- 
tality as  did  those  divisions  not  given  the  preventive.  And 
one  of  these  divisions  was  given  the  further  special  treat- 
ment of  a  dampened  mash  in  the  evening,  the  "dope" 
being  used  in  the  mash  as  well  as  in  the  drinking  water. 

We  have  not  tried  vaccination.  Poultrymen  of  experi- 
ence and  judgment  who  tried  it  a  year  or  two  ago  reported 
most  unsatisfactory  results,  and  while  we  have  been  un- 
able to  gain  definite  figures  for  comparison  yet  the  in- 
ference was  that  as  many  birds  were  lost,  either  as  an 
immediate  result  of  the  treatment  or  afterwards,  as  we 
lost  without  it.  We  may  try  it  some  time ;  but  if  we  do 
it  will  be  on  half  the  pullets  from  each  hatch. 

At  first  signs  of  the  trouble  we  give  the  whole  flock, 
not  only  the  division  in  which  it  appears,  but  the  whole 


164  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

flock,  a  dose  of  Salts — 1  pound  to  250  birds,  and  the  dose 
is  repeated  three  times,  on  alternate  days.  Fresh  water 
is  given  each  day  at  from  3  to  4  o'clock.  Douglas  Mix- 
ture is  then  given  steadily  for  one  week. 

Meantime  a  certain  part  of  the  day  is  given  over  to 
picking  up  affected  birds.  These  are  put  into  the  hos- 
pital. They  are  given  no  special  treatment  there  except- 
ing that  Douglas  Mixture  is  kept  in  the  water  con- 
stantly. 

Where  canker  in  the  windpipe  occurs,  if  it  is  discovered 
in  time,  the  canker  is  removed  with  a  bone  crochet  hook. 
The  bird  may  best  be  held  by  crowding  the  feet  between 
your  knees.  The  head  of  the  bird  is  held  in  the  left  hand, 
the  mouth  being  opened  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger. 
Quick  work  is  necessary  to  success.  The  hook  is  slid  into 
the  mouth  and  is  run  into  the  windpipe  when  the  bird 
draws  its  breath ;  the  opening  is  always  expanded  for  a 
brief  instant.  In  many  cases  the  canker  can  be  peeled 
out  with  one  deft  stroke.  If  it  breaks  it  is  advisable  to 
paint  it  over  with  a  weak  solution  of  some  disinfectant; 
we  use  a  10  per  cent  Argerole,  diluted  heavily  with  water. 
It  is  applied  by  means  of  the  tip  of  a  feather  which  can  be 
run  through  the  opening  into  the  windpipe.  Strip  the 
quill  until  but  a  brush  remains.  In  24  hours  another  ef- 
fort can  be  made  to  bring  out  the  whole  mass.  Two  or 
three  applications  will  usually  soften  the  growth  to  such 
an  extent  that  it  will  come  out  readily.  If  it  continues 
to  stick  tight  the  case  is  hopeless.  We  have  cleaned 
throats  of  the  tight  canker  by  patient  work  and  brought 
the  bird  back  to  laying,  but  the  canker  invariably  returns 
after  a  time  and  the  bird  must  be  put  away. 


WITH  4200  HENS  165 

Where  the  canker  fastens  in  an  eye  the  eye  is  lost. 
In  this  respect  canker  must  be  distinguished  from  simple 
pox.  Pox-scales  will  form  on  the  eyelids  and  close  the 
eyes  temporarily  but  if  the  bird  is  watched  and  is  hand- 
fed  and  watered  regularly,  the  sight  will  not  be  lost;  it 
is,  in  fact,  not  affected  at  all.  It  is  simply  a  question  of 
keeping  the  bird  from  starving  to  death.  The  application 
of  carbolated  vaseline  to  such  cases  will  hasten  recovery ; 
but  they  will  recover  without  it,  as  may  be  learned  by 
observing  a  bird  who  has  but  one  eye  closed  with  the 
pox-scale.  We  do  not  give  individual  treatment  in  such 
cases.  Where  canker  attacks  both  eyes  the  bird  should 
be  put  away  immediately — the  case  is  hopeless.  We  have 
experimented  with  removing  the  canker  when  one  eye 
is  attacked  but  found  it  conducive  to  no  particular  good. 
It  is  painful  to  the  bird  and  a  trial  to  the  operator.  The 
growth  will  eventually  slough  off,  carrying  the  eye-bail 
with  it. 

Where  an  eye  is  lost  in  this  manner  the  bird  need  not 
necessarily  be  disposed  of.  If  it  is  in  good  flesh  and  con- 
dition when  attacked  there  is  better  than  an  even  chance 
that  it  will  be  profitable  to  carry  it  until  the  next  moult. 

Individual  Treatment 

When  time  is  available  for  individual  treatment  a  bird 
with  a  cold  can  be  cured  quickly.  A  teaspoonful  of  castor 
oil;  a  careful  cleansing  of  the  nostrils  (of  the  eyes  also 
if  affected)  with  a  soft  cloth;  the  injection  into  each  nos- 
tril and  the  cleft  of  the  mouth  of  a  minute  quantity  of 
kerosene,  by  means  of  a  little  "squirt"  oil  can,  milk-moist- 
ened mash  for  a  few  days,  or  bread  and  milk — these  meas- 


166  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

ures  will  result  in  a  quick  and  complete  recovery.  When 
a  number  of  birds  are  confined  in  the  hospital  and  colds 
are  prevalent  we  keep  Douglas  Mixture  in  the  water  con- 
stantly. If  this  is  not  available  a  light  film  of  kerosene 
on  the  drinking  pot  will  be  found  of  much  benefit. 

Crop-Bound.  We  have  had  little  success  in  treating 
such  cases.  The  giving  of  large  quantities  of  olive  oil, 
a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day,  along  with  a  kneading 
of  the  crop,  has  a  tendency  to  soften  the  mass,  but  this 
rarely  removes  the  obstruction.  Tt  is  worth  trying,,  how- 
ever. In  exceptional  cases  the  crop  may  be  opened  by 
making  an  incision  with  a  sharp  knife  (a  safety  razor 
blade  is  a  good  instrument).  The  mass  is  then  removed, 
the  crop  is  washed  out  with  a  disinfectant  and  the  wound 
is  sewed  up  with  silk  thread  and  a  fine  needle.  The  bird 
should  then  be  given  soft  food  for  a  time. 

Limberneck.  A  tablespoonful  of  castor  oil  is  the  best 
attempt  at  curing  this  trouble.  We  have  never  had  a 
bird  that  was  worth  keeping  after  such  an  attack. 

Dropsy  and  Tumors.  There  is  no  cure  for  these  troub- 
les. It  is  a  waste  of  time  and  effort. 

Liver  Troubles,  These  are  due  usually  to  improper 
feeding  and  a  lack  of  exercise.  The  fault  may  be  in  the 
individual  bird.  If  a  bird  does  not  thrive  on  the  treat- 
ment accorded  our  flock  as  a  whole  we  have  no  time  to 
spend  on  it.  If  a  number  of  blue  combs  show  up,  we 
administer  the  Salts  treatment. 

Prolapsus.  If  the  bird  is  caught  in  time  she  may  be 
saved ;  otherwise,  nine  times  in  ten,  the  other  birds 
will  kill  her  by  drawing  out  the  entire  intestinal  tract. 
The  parts  should  be  carefully  washed  in  warm  water  to 


WITH  4200  HENS  167 

which  a  good  disinfectant  has  been  added,  and  should 
then  be  pushed  back  into  place.  The  bird  must  then  be 
kept  entirely  alone.  If  another  egg  does  not  follow  within 
a  few  days  the  bird  may  be  able  to  retain  the  parts  in 
place.  Otherwise  she  had  better  be  used  for  the  table. 
She  is  in  perfect  health  and  there  is  no  more  objection 
to  her  use  for  food  than  would  be  a  case  of  a  broken  leg. 

If  pepper  or  other  forcing  stuffs  have  been  in  use ;  or 
if  some  prepared  "laying  dope"  has  been  fed  previous  to 
a  case  or  a  number  of  cases  of  prolapsus,  the  use  of  such 
things  should  be  discontinued  immediately.  If  your  hens 
will  yield  you  no  profit  without  them  either  you  or  the 
strain  of  your  hens  is  at  fault. 

We  have  cases  here  every  season  when  the  pullets  first 
come  into  laying  and  we  have  found  no  means  of  check- 
ing the  trouble.  It  seems  a  penalty  attached  to  quick 
development.  We  have  had  it  even  when  the  birds  were 
kept  on  a  ration  without  meat  product  of  any  kind. 

Bumblefoot.  The  bird  should  be  caught  immediately 
and  be  put  where  the  wound  can  be  kept  out  of  the 
dirt.  The  wound  should  be  opened  when  pus  develops 
and  should  be  carefully  washed  out.  A  bandage  may  be 
applied — it  is  another  matter  to  keep  it  in  place. 

Egg-Bound.  The  hen  should  be  held  over  a  bucket 
of  very  warm  water,  not  hot,  but  uncomfortably  warm, 
with  the  hind  parts  resting  in  the  water ;  this  will  have  a 
tendency  to  relax  the  parts.  Frequently  the  egg  will  be 
passed  when  this  has  been  done ;  if  not,  grease  the  middle 
finger  with  vaseline  and  inserting  it  into  the  egg-duct, 
grease  the  walls  of  the  duct  and  if  possible  turn  the  egg. 
Repeat  the  warm  water  treatment  if  necessary.  As  a 


168  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

final  resort  the  egg  may  be  broken,  but  this  is  desperate 
treatment.  If  the  particles  of  shell  are  not  removed  care- 
fully, or  if  a  piece  of  shell  is  thrust  through  the  wall  of 
the  egg-duct,  infection  is  likely  and  the  hen  will  be  lost. 

Leg  Weakness.  We  have  made  all  manner  of  experi- 
ments with  pullets  that  go  down  on  their  haunches  at  the 
time  of  maturity  and  have  never  been  able  to  effect  a  cure. 

Hens  with  what  we  classify  as  rheumatism  may  be 
brought  back  to  a  certain  degree,  but  the  cure  is  seldom 
permanent.  It  is  a  saving  of  time  to  get  rid  of  them. 

And  the  thin,  wasted  cases  have  never  been  experi- 
mented with — they  are  put  away  immediately. 

An  Occasional  Dose  of  Salts 

During  the  hot  summer  months  we  make  a  practice  ot 
giving  the  entire  flock  a  dose  of  Salts  about  once  each 
month.  The  dose  is  at  the  rate  of  one  pound  to  250  birds. 
It  is  given  just  once  and  is  followed  next  day  by  soda  at 
the  same  rate. 

Conclusion  as  to  Diseases 

Occasion  is  taken  to  reassure  the  beginner  on  the  sub- 
ject of  disease  among  the  birds.  Colds  and  the  minor 
troubles  discussed  you  are  likely  to  have  almost  any  time 
and  regardless  of  the  care  given  the  birds ;  and  so  far  as 
pox  and  canker  are  concerned,  we  have  had  but  two  sieges 
of  it  in  eight  years.  It  is  not  amiss  to  suggest  that  if  no 
troubles  were  to  be  contended  with  there  would  be  little 
if  any  profit  in  the  work.  The  writer  has  been  through 
all  forms  of  discouragement  but  he  has  made  a  good  thing 
out  of  it,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  do 
as  well. 


WITH  4200  HENS  169 

Parasites 

In  this  respect  the  poultryman  may  have  four  things 
to  contend  with :  Mites,  Lice,  Scaly  Leg  and  Worms. 

Mites  are  the  chicken  house  bedbug  and  they  are  as 
much  a  disgrace  to  the  poultryman  as  the  bedbug  is  to 
the  housewife.  The  mites  live  and  breed  in  the  house. 
They  attack  their  host  on  the  roost  at  night  and  suck  the 
blood.  If  you  are  as  careful  and  regular  in  spraying  as 
you  should  be  you  will  have  none  of  them.  A  common 
form  of  entry  for  them  is  to  put  a  new  roost  or  a  piece  of 
new  lumber  in  the  house  without  first  spraying  it.  Should 
they  gain  entry  on  you  in  this  manner  your  safest  course 
is  to  spray  their  place  of  abode  every  day  until  you  get 
rid  of  them. 

The  family  tree  of  the  louse  family  is  a  widespreading 
oak.  None  should  concern  you  excepting  the  body  louse 
which  lives  on  the  bird.  As  our  chicks  are  all  incubator 
hatched  we  have  none  to  contend  with  at  the  start.  Our 
observation  is  that  lice  are  present  on  mature  fowls  in 
almost  every  large  flock.  The  pullets  usually  stay  free 
of  them  until  they  are  nine  or  ten  months  old.  We  do 
not  concern  ourselves  with  them.  We  see  to  it  that  the 
birds  have  loose  moist  soil  to  dust  and  wallow  in  all  the 
time  and  that  is  as  far  as  we  go.  We  have  never  found 
lice  in  sufficient  numbers  to  be  dangerous  excepting  on 
birds  out  of  condition  that  are  not  removed  promptly,  and 
on  male  birds.  The  males  are  likely  to  be  negligent  in 
dusting.  When  a  sick  bird  is  removed  if  it  is  lousy  it  is 
dusted  with  "Devil's  Dust"  to  give  it  a  chance  to  regain 
its  normal  habits;  and  the  male  birds  are  given  a  hand- 
dusting  twice  a  year.  Some  birds  will  keep  themselves 


170  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

entirely  free  of  body  lice ;  but  you  are  likely  to  find  lice 
on  many  of  them. 

Scaly  leg,  which  may  look  like  crusted  warts,  is  said 
to  be  due  to  a  mite  which  burrows  under  the  skin  of  the 
legs.  A  good  way  to  get  rid  of  them  is  to  wash  the  legs 
in  warm,  soapy  water,  then  applying  either  a  mixture  of 
equal  parts  of  kerosene  and  lard,  or  perhaps  carbolated 
vaseline.  Several  treatments  may  be  necessary.  If  a 
flock  is  infested  a  shallow  pan  may  be  set  in  the  doorway 
where  the  birds  must  pass  over  it;  fill  the  pan  half  full 
of  water  and  add  a  film  of  kerosene.  This  is  said  to  be  a 
good  remedy.  We  have  never  tried  it.  The  only  case 
of  scaly  leg  we  ever  had  was  on  an  old  moth-eaten  hen 
with  spurs  about  two  inches  long,  wished  on  us  by  a 
kind-hearted  neighbor  who  was  moving  away  and  who 
could  not  think  of  disposing  of  "Old  Pet."  She  was  cured 
in  the  manner  first  described. 

Worms  have  never  given  us  any  trouble.  We  find  signs 
of  worms  in  the  droppings  at  times.  Should  they  show 
up  to  any  extent  we  have  recourse  to  our  salts  and  tonic 
treatment.  This  is  as  far  as  we  go. 

Mortality 

There  is  only  one  true  method  of  arriving  at  the  per- 
centage of  hens  lost.  You  must  count  the  pullets  hatched 
and  placed  in  the  laying  house  and  when  you  sell  them 
off  later,  count  the  number  you  sell.  This  sounds  so  sim- 
ple that  it  borders  on  the  ridiculous  but  it  is  surprising 
how  few  poultrymen  do  it — if  what  they  say  on  the  sub- 
ject of  death  losses  is  to  be  taken  as  a  criterion. 

Our  experience  is  that  hens  will  die  off  constantly,  re- 


WITH  4200  HENS  171 

gardless  of  the  care  given  them,  when  they  are  being  kept 
at  high  efficiency  of  egg  production.  It  is  also  our  experi- 
ence that  the  percentage  lost  increases  with  the  age  of  the 
hens — there  will  be  greater  losses  among  two-year-olds 
than  among  the  yearlings ;  and  greater  among  the  year- 
lings than  among  the  pullets.  In  small  flocks  the  per- 
centage does  not  seem  to  be  so  great  but  this  is  because 
it  does  not  involve  the  greater  number.  If  two  hens  are 
lost  out  of  twenty  in  the  course  of  two  laying  seasons  the 
loss  does  not  seem  as  great  as  when  five  hundred  are  lost 
out  of  five  thousand. 

Our  experience  indicates  that  from  10  to  15  per  cent 
is  likely  to  be  the  mortality  each  year  where  the  hens  are 
kept  through  two  laying  seasons.  The  experience  in- 
cludes going  through  two  sieges  of  chicken  pox  and 
canker  in  eight  years — the  mortality  from  this  cause  is 
included.  And  as  already  suggested,  the  mortality  is 
likely  to  be  heavier  in  the  second  year  than  in  the  first. 

Culling 

We  cull  constantly,  but  more  especially  during  me 
moulting  season.  The  work  is  based  entirely  on  the  idea 
of  eliminating  birds  that  are  not  in  the  pink  of  condition. 
Rainy  weather,  foggy  mornings,  hot  evenings — these  are 
good  culling  times.  If  a  run  of  colds  or  other  trouble 
develops — and  we  all  have  them — a  certain  hour  of  the 
day,  morning  or  evening,  is  given  over  to  culling.  A  bird 
out  of  condition  will  remain  on  the  roost  late  and  will  go 
back  to  it  early;  a  trip  through  the  house  late  in  the 
morning  and  early  in  the  evening  enables  one  to  pick  up 
out-of-condition  birds  quickly  and  easily.  Moulting  time 


WITH  4200  HENS  173 

is  an  especially  good  time  to  cull.  Few  weaklings  will 
survive  the  moult;  those  that  do  survive  it  are  easily 
spotted. 

Culled  birds  are  not  necessarily  disposed  of.  They  are 
placed  in  the  hospital  or  in  one  of  the  observation  yards 
and  houses  and  are  given  a  chance  by  having  fewer  com- 
panions to  get  on  their  feet  again.  By  far  the  larger  part 
of  our  culls  are  carried  over  then  until  the  moulting  sea- 
son. They  are  not  put  back  into  the  main  flock,  where 
they  might  be  used  for  breeders,  but  in  a  special  division 
assigned  to  returned  culls.  We  have  found  this  a  profit- 
able course  to  pursue.  The  birds  that  do  not  speedily 
come  back  to  good  condition  are  either  put  away  or  are 
sold  to  market  when  they  are  again  in  a  healthy  condition. 

We  do  not  go  through  the  flock,  handling  each  bird, 
with  the  idea  of  culling  out  non-producers  or  selecting 
special  birds  for  breeding  purposes. 

Keeping  Accounts  and  Records 

The  writer  attributes  a  large  part  of  his  success  in  the 
work  to  the  keeping  of  most  accurate  accounts  and 
records  and  his  advice,  to  the  beginner  especially,  is  to 
take  the  trouble  of  doing  so.  It  matters  little  or  nothing 
what  sort  of  books  are  used — a  common  pencil-writing 
tablet  will  do  as  well  as  an  elaborate  set  of  books. 

You  should  record  somewhere  the  number  of  chicks 
hatched  in  each  lot  and  the  date  of  the  hatch.  When  the 
chicks  are  taken  from  the  brooder  house  enter  on  this 
record  the  number  removed.  Here  is  an  illustration : 


174  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

March  15,  1919—1,200  Chicks 

Cockerels   to    Cockerel   House        Pullets  to  Laying  House 

From  Brooder  House 490         From  Brooder  House 580 

May  21 — from  pullets 22         May  21 — to  cockerels 22 

512  558 

May  31— sold  78        May  dead   16 

June  1 — balance 434  June  1 — balance 542 

This  should  be  continued  until  the  cockerels  are  all  dis- 
posed of  and  the  pullets  are  laying.  The  latter  are  then 
carried  into  an  account  entitled  "Record  of  Laying  Hens/' 

The  four  examples  on  page  176  constitute  the  whole 
of  the  system  necessary  from  this  time  forward.  Rule 
off  a  page  in  the  tablet  for  each  of  the  four.  It  may  appear 
at  first  glance  like  a  complicated  matter,  especially  to 
one  not  accustomed  to  keeping  accounts,  but  if  the 
reader  will  take  the  trouble  to  apply  it  to  his  own  case 
and  facts  he  should  have  little  difficulty  in  mastering 
the  plan. 

It  is  well  worth  while.  It  is  the  writer's  belief  that  if 
the  plan  covered  by  these  four  sheets  was  put  into  use  on 
every  commercial  egg  farm  in  the  country,  a  far  greater 
percentage  would  be  successful.  The  poultryman  who 
keeps  these  records  faithfully  knows  at  all  times  just  what 
he  is  doing  and  what  each  and  every  yard  of  his  birds  are 
doing.  And  therein  lies  a  big  factor  of  success.  If  your 
"Earnings  per  Hen"  record  showed  month  after  month, 
one  year  after  another,  that  yards  of  birds  hatched  after 
a  certain  time  were  always  far  behind  yards  hatched  at 
another  time,  you  would  sit  up  nights  if  necessary  to  get 


WITH  4200  HENS  175 

your  birds  out  in  the  more  profitable  month.     That  is 
what  we  did. 

As  a  result  of  such  records  we  can  readily  make  com- 
parison of  earnings  of  birds  hatched  in  different  months 
during  the  last  eight  years.  We  know  how  the  cost  of 
feeding  has  varied  from  month  to  month  in  all  that  time ; 
how  many  pullets  we  raised,  how  many  of  them  were 
later  sold,  and  how  many  died  off. 

It  is  not  only  financially  profitable  to  have  such  records 
but  it  enables  one  to  place  a  true  value  on  the  data,  sta- 
tistics, and  information  of  a  general  nature  that  is  passed 
along  by  word  of  mouth  and  in  the  poultry  press  and  in 
books  on  poultry. 

Our  accounts  and  records  go  into  the  subject  much 
more  deeply.  A  general  set  of  books  is  kept,  of  course, 
and  in  addition  we  have  records  that  tell  us  that  an 
average  of  4,214  hens  consumed  in  one  year  302,398 
pounds  of  grain  and  mash,  an  average  of  70.57  pounds 
per  hen ;  that  the  grain  and  mash  consumption  was  at  the 
rate  of  6.57  pounds  per  dozen  of  eggs  produced,  varying 
from  4.4  pounds  in  April  to  12.22  pounds  in  November; 
the  poundage  of  feed  stuffs  used  in  maturing  pullets ;  the 
cost  of  raising  pullets ;  the  cost  of  producing  a  dozen 
eggs,  one  year  for  another.  We  have  all  this  data.  It 
takes  time  and  a  lot  of  work  to  go  into  it  as  extensively 
as  this,  but  the  writer  enjoys  it;  he  enjoys  doing  it  and 
he  enjoys  the  accurate  knowledge  thereby  acquired.  But 
it  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  it  as  deeply  as  this. 


176 


HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 


SHEET  No.  1 

RECORD  OF  LAYING  HENS 


1919  Stock 


January  Pullets  hatched 
May,  Cockerels  out 


1350 
18 


June  1,  1919,  Balance 1332 

June,  Cockerels  out 12 

Dead.  .  .     7         19 


July  1,  1919,  Balance 1313 

July,  Dead 12 

August  1.  1919,  Balance 1301 

October,  Dead 3 


November  1,  1919,  Balance 1298 


March  Pullets  hatched  . .  . 
July  Dead 


August  1,  1919,  Balance. . .  . 
October,  Dead 

November  1,  1919,  Balance. 


1870 

7 


1863 
4 


1859 


When  the  birds  are  sold,  mark  the  number  and  by  preserving  the  sheet  you  can 
always  tell  what  mortality  occurred  in  that  particular  lot. 


SHEET  No.  2 

NOVEMBER  1919  EGG  RECORD 


Date 

January 
1919 

March 
1919 

Total 
Eggs 

Wholesale 
Price 

Sales 
(dozens) 

Amount 
Received 

(or  Value) 

1 
2 
3 

317 
328 
302 

706 
817 
786 

1023 
1145 
1088 

60c 

690 

$  414.00 

4 

397 

792 

1186 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

Total  * 

12,980 

18,590 

31,570 

2,610 

$    1,566.00 

Eggs  consumed  or  eggs  used  for  your  own  hatching  should  be  entered  in  "Sales" 
columns  at  the  price  on  that  day. 

*  "Total"  is  assumed  to  represent  the  proper  total  of  day  by  day  figures. 


WITH  4200  HENS 


177 


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178  HOW  I  MADE  $10,000  IN  ONE  YEAR 

Rules  for  Success 

The  writer  has  often  been  asked  what  the  requisites 
are  for  success  in  egg-farming.  This  may  vary  with 
different  individuals.  So  far  as  his  success  is  concerned 
he  attributes  it  to  : 

First,  never  getting  tired ;  never  being  too  tired  to  do 
something  that  will  add  to  the  comfort  and  well-being  of 
the  birds. 

Second,  mastering  the  art  Qr  science  of  brooding  chicks 
and  raising  large  numbers  of  pullets. 

Third,  renewing  at  least  60  per  cent  of  the  flock  each 
year  with  young  pullets. 

Fourth,  concentrating  on  one  particular  branch  of  the 
work  and  keeping  everlastingly  at  it. 

Fifth,  keeping  accurate  records  and  accounts  so  that 
he  knows  at  every  stage  of  the  work  what  the  results  are 
in  dollars  and  cents. 

Sixth,  asking  the  giver  of  advice  for  his  practical  ex- 
perience on  a  commercial  scale  before  acting  on  it. 

Seventh,  disregarding  the  clock  so  far  as  the  8-hour 
day  is  concerned  and  working  not  only  hard,  but  effi- 
ciently, so  that  every  minute  is  made  to  count  and 
neither  time  nor  effort  is  wasted. 

Profits  Derived  in  1918 

Our  gains  and  losses  during  the  year  1918  were  as 
follows : 


WITH  4200  HENS  179 

Received  from  sale  of  eggs $22,325.03 

Received  from  sale  of  fertilizer        300.70 


Total  gains  ..  $22,625.73 

Feed  and  Supplies r $  9,623.46 

Hired  Labor :.     1,419.45 

Water  Taxes   (Including 

household  use)  103.40 

Sundry  Farm   Expenses 161.54 

Interest  Paid,  and  all  Taxes 930.82 

Total  losses ~~  12,238.67 

Difference— Gain  for  the  Year..  $10,387.06 

Against  this  gain  is  a  charge  for  depreciation  on  build- 
ings and  income  taxes  for  1918  payable  in  1919.  There 
is  an  additional  gain  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  there  was 
a  net  increase  in  the  flock  of  632  above  mortality. 

The  reader  who  analyzes  these  figures  carefully  will 
readily  find  the  answer  to  the  question  of  how  this  great 
profit  was  made.  The  writer,  with  the  help  of  one  man 
constantly  6  days  in  the  week;  another  man  for  a  short 
time  during  the  brooding-and-heavy-laying  season;  and 
a  third  man  coming  in  for  one  day  every  ten  days  to  do 
the  cleaning,  did  all  the  work.  More  than  three  thousand 
pullets  were  raised  in  the  spring  of  1918;  and  when  the 
maximum  hired  help  was  on  duty  between  10,500  and 
11,000  birds,  young  and  old,  were  being  cared  for. 

The  hired  help  worked  eight  hours  a  day.  The  writer 
worked  until  the  work  was  done;  16-hour  days  were 
common  during  the  brooding-season,  and  24-hour  days 
sometimes  happen. 

It  is  a  man's-sized  job. 


INDEX 


Acreage    needed 17 

Alarm    system 46-70 

Alfalfa   39-119 

Anatomical    tests    143 

Awnings     48 

Baby  Chicks:  'Caring   for 69 

Carrying     67 

Hatching     66-133 

Balancing   feed    85-119 

Barley   135 

Bowel  trouble   96-158 

Blue  combs    148 

Breeding    plan    137 

Breeding  stock    112-114-137 

Breed   to   keep 21 

Broilers    113-146 

Broken  eggs    129 

Bronchitis    150 

Brooder  houses    43-48 

Brooding  system    69 

Broody  coops    61 

Buildings:    Avoid    fads 13 

Cost    of    65 

How  to  face 13 

Type   of    13 

Type  we  use 43 

Using  old  ones 15 

Bumblefoot     150-157-167 

Buying  partly  developed  chicks 101 

Buying  pullets    35 

Calling    the    birds 124 

Canker    150-152-163 

Capital  required    28 

Carrying    baby    chicks 67 

Catarrh 150-151 

Cats    101 

Chicken    pox    150-152-168 

Chick  feed 72 

Chick   mash    81-83 

Chick   troughs    81-87-107 

Chilling     90-93-96 

Cholera    158 

City   locations    11 

Cleaning    100-134 

Clogged   crops    150-156-166 

Closing  houses  at  night 118 

Closing  nests   129 

Coccidiosis    96 

Cockerel    house    48-112 

Cockerels:   Selecting    102-113-137 

Selling     114 

Cocks     146 

Colds    96-109-150-162-165 

Combs  indicate  health   , 148 

Comparative   production    142 

Cooling  eggs 130 


Page 

Co-operative    marketing     132 

Cost"  of:  Buildings 65 

Chicks     28 

Feeding    125 

Raising   pullets 28 

Crossing    breeds     22 

Cross  section  of  laying  house 54 

Crying  chicks    76 

Culling   110-171 

Culls     110-114-173 

Danger  periods    92 

Dead   chicks   93 

Designation  of  chickens 146 

Diagram  of  our  plant 40 

Diarrhoea     95 

Diphtheria    158 

Discolored  comb    148 

Diseases   of    chicks 91 

Diseases    of    chickens 147-150 

Disinfecting     16-134 

Disinfectants     134 

Disturbances    123 

Doctoring   chicks   93 

Double    fences    19 

Double  yards    117 

Douglas    Mixture    92-159-162 

Droppings    135-148 

Dropsy    150-156-166 

Dry  mash 118 

Eggbound 150-157-167 

Esg   room   42-64 

Egg  yield  per  hen 139 

Eggs:   Cooling    130 

Gathering     128 

Grades     129 

Grading    129 

Marketing    131-133 

Packing    129 

Retailing    131 

Selecting  for  hatching 68-137 

Electric  lights 141 

Fall  hatching   24 

Feed:  Balancing    119 

Costs     125 

House     39-64 

Pails    82-121 

Weighing    85-119 

Feeding:  Chicks    70 

Broody  hens 125 

Cockerels     111-115 

Indoors     121-124 

Laying  hens   118 

Outdoors    .90 

Time  of 119 


INDEX  — Continued 


Page 

Fences    47-62 

Freshening    yards    29-135 

Frights     77-123-145 

Fryers 146 

Gate   latches    53 

Gates    42-63 

Gathering  eggs    128 

Getting  ready  for  chicks 70 

Grading:  Broilers    114 

Eggs     129 

Hens    139 

Grain    mixing     123 

Grains  used    122 

Greenstuff    83-119-135 

Greenstuff,  space  for    21-48 

Grit    119 

Hatching     66-69 

Hatching:  Fall   24 

Spring     24 

Time   for 24 

Hatching   eggs: 

Selecting     68-137 

Selling     133 

Health — indications  of    148 

Hens     138-146 

Hens  per  acre 17 

Housing  the  layers   117 

Hospital    quarters    43-63 

Indications  of  health  and  disease 148 

Indigestion    94 

Individual  treatment    165 

January   hatching    25 

January   pullets    10:} 

Keeping   accounts    173 

Keeping  hens  indoors    118 

Lath   ladders    107 

Laying   houses   51-54 

Laying    mash    110-118 

Laying  out  the  plant 17 

Leg  weakness:  Chicks    93 

Hens     150-157-168 

Lice:    Cockerels    169 

Hens    169 

Young  chicks    100 

Limberneck     150-156-166 

Litter     70-127 

Liver  trouble    150-157-166 

Locating  an  eggfarm   9 

Manure:  Disposition  of    135 

Value  of   135 

Weight   of   135 


Page 

Marketing:  Broilers    114 

Eggs     131-133 

Co-operative    132 

Hens    138 

Mash:  Formula    118 

Troughs     54-58 

Wet     121 

Mating     137 

Medicines    158 

Method   of   feeding 119 

Mites    100-169 

Mixing  grain    123 

Mortality:   Chicks    91 

Hens    170 

Moult    .* 121 

Moving  pullets    105 

Nest?    54-59 

Nest    material    145 

No-yard  system 16 

Number  of  hens  in  house 105-117 

Opening   the  nests    129 

Packing   eggs    129 

Parasites     100-169 

Peewee  eggs   130 

Pepper     167 

Percentage  of  chicks  raised 91 

Percentage  of  pullets  raised 91 

Piling   up    109 

Plan   of  our   plant 37 

Ploughing     135 

Profitable   age  of   hens 138 

Profit  to  be  expected 22 

Prolapsus    of    oviduct 150-157-166 

Puffy   crops    94 

Pullets 146 

Pullet  eggs    130 

Reducing  heat  in  brooder  house 74-83 

Retailing  eggs    131 

Rheumatism     157-168 

Roasters 146 

Roosts  for  chicks 45-105 

Roup    152-158 

Rules  for  success    178 

Salts    93-159-162-168 

Scaly  leg    169-170 

Segregating   cockerels    90-137 

Selecting:  Breeding  cockerels    102-113-137 

Hatching  eggs   68-137 

Hens    138 

Selling:   Baby   chicks    133 

Broilers    113 

Co-operative    132 

Hatching  eggs 133 

Hens   138 


INDEX  —  Continued 


Page 

Shell    119 

Size  of  eggs    25-144 

Soda     79-94-159-163-168 

Soil  best  adapted    12 

Spraying    100-134 

Spring   hatching    24 

Sprouted   oats 87 

Sprouting  oats    127 

Starting   small    33 

Stags     146 

Surveying    18 

Swollen   eyes    151 

Taking   out   cockerels    90-102 

Time  of  feeding    119 

Time  of  hatching    69 

Toe-picking    75-94 

Training   the   cat    101 

Trapnesting     143 

Treatment  of  disease   161 

Trees     21 

Troughs:  For  chicks    81-87-107 

For  hens    54-58 

Tumors    150-156-166 

Turning  off  the  stove 104 

Two-hundred  egg  hens    141 

Use  of  brooder  yards    89 

Using  rented  place    29 


Page 

Vaccination     163 

Visitors    77-124 

Watering  broody  hens  62 

Watering  chicks  72 

Watering  device:  Chicks 72 

Hens  58 

Water  pots — care  of  128 

Water  shed  57 

Weighing  the  feed:  Chicks  85 

Hens  119 

Weight  of  manure 135 

Wet  mash  121 

When  to  sell  hens 138 

When  to  start  24 

Where  to  feed  123 

Where  to  locate  9 

White  diarrhoea  95 

Worms  169-170 

Yard:  Freshening    29-135-136 

Gates     42-63 

Our  plan    40-62 

Space  needed    17 

Yards    16-17 

Yards  or  no-yards   16 

Yield  per  hen 139 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


OCT   191947 


194S 


LD  21-100m-12,'46(A2012sl6)4120 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


